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| 09 NOVEMBER 2007 | ||
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| 09 NOVEMBER 2007 | ||
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye Re: Comelec chair |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has formed a
screening and selection committee for the position of chairman of the
Commission on Elections (Comelec). The committee shall be composed of the following: Bernardino R. Abes, chairman, Jose S. Concepcion, Carmen N. Pedrosa, Vicente R. Jayme and Democrito N. Mendoza, members. The committee shall screen potential candidates with the end view of submitting to the Office of the President, for its consideration a shortlist of qualified candidates, without ranking, not later than 15 December 2007 |
| PGMA forms screening and selection committee for new Comelec chairman |
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In a move to fill up the vacuum in the top
leadership at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and for purposes of
transparency, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has formed a five-man
screening and selection committee tasked to search for the most qualified
person to take over the chairmanship of the country’s poll body. Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R.Bunye, in a statement today, said the committee would be chaired by former Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) Chairman of the Board of Trustees Bernardino A. Abes. The members of the committee are industrialist and National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) prime mover Jose S. Concepcion; respected journalist and Philippine Star columnist Carmen N. Pedrosa; former President Corazon Aquino’s Secretary of Finance Vicente R. Jayme, and labor leader and Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) President Democrito Mendoza. “The committee shall screen potential candidates with the end view of submitting to the Office of the President, for its consideration, a shortlist of qualified candidates, without ranking, not later than Dec. 15, 2007,” Bunye said. The position of Comelec chairman was vacated after former Chair Benjamin Abalos resigned last Oct. 1. Commissioner Resurreccion Borra has assumed as acting Comelec chair but he would be retiring on Feb. 2, 2008 after serving his seven-year term of office. By then, there would be three vacancies at the seven-man poll body as another commissioner--- Florentino Tuason Jr. -- would also have completed his term of office. Abes, a lawyer with extensive experience in labor relations and administration, banking, the academe, insurance and pension fund management, was secretary of Labor from 1962 to 1964, and chairman of the Social Security System from 1963 to 1965 under the administration of the late President Diosdado Macapagal. He was appointed by President Arroyo as Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs, and later as head of the Presidential Liaison Office, and in 2001 as SSS chair. In the private sector, Abes held various management positions, including directorships in Union Bank of the Philippines, First Philippine Holdings, Philex Mining Corporation and Petron Corporation. He also taught law subjects at the University of the East, Far Eastern University and Abad Santos Law School. Starting out as chief of the public information office of the Department of Labor after graduating from the University of Santo Tomas College of Law, Abes rose from the ranks. He was promoted chief of the department’s conciliation service, and later as director of the Bureau of Labor Relations. Concepcion, one of the country’s successful businessmen, has an associate's degree in Business Administration from De La Salle University. He is the chairman of the Board of RFM Corporation, Swift Foods, Inc. and Namfrel. He was formerly the secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, chairman of the Board of Investments and member of the Central Bank Monetary Board. Pedrosa is the name behind the Philippine Star’s column “From A Distance” and the editor-in-chief of Republika, while Jayme served in government as secretary of Finance and Public Works and Highways. Mendoza is the man to call when workers need a champion. He is the president of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) and national president of the Associated Labor Unions-TUCP and has been involved in the labor movement for over 50 years. He is also president of the Asean Trade Union Council and the Visayas-Mindanao Confederation of Trade Unions. |
| PGMA creates PFESO to encourage foreign movie makers to produce films in RP |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has created
the Philippine Film Export Services Office (PFESO) in an effort to attract
foreign movie and television film makers to produce their films in the
Philippines. Executive Order No. 674, signed by the President last Oct. 30, not only hopes to generate additional income for the country, but also “to promote tourism, and enhance the image of the country abroad.” The PFESO is tasked to “integrate, simplify and streamline the requirements for foreign producers interested in doing location shooting in the country” via the institutionalization of a One-Stop Shop System for Foreign Film/TV Production. IN EO 674, the President stressed the need to enhance “linkages and collaboration with foreign film producers and film bodies (which) will also facilitate the promotion of locally produced films in global festivals and markets.” To carry out the provisions of the EO, the President authorized the release of an initial sum of P10 million chargeable against the funds of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the mother agency of the newly created PFESO. Under the administrative and technical supervision of the FDCP, the PFESO shall be composed of an executive director and 11 members – nine from government agencies and two from the private entertainment sector. The members shall come from the: Department of Tourism (DOT); Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG); Department of National Defense (DND); Bureau of Customs (BoC); Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR); Bureau of Immigration (BI); Cinema Evaluation Board; and Film Academy of the Philippines; and a representative each from the movie industry and the television industry. The PFESO is also tasked to: • Facilitate the promotion and marketing of the Philippines as location site for international film/TV production; • Formulate and recommend an incentive package for foreign film/TV companies interested in shooting films/TV programs in the country; • Assist foreign film companies in processing pertinent documents and various requirements for foreign movie and TV film makers; • Coordinate with various government agencies in assisting the entry and exit of the foreign producers, artists and production crew; • Provide direct link between foreign production companies, producers, filmmakers and artists with local manpower services, local artists, bit players and technical crew and facilities; and • Utilize the services of tourism attaches abroad, through the DOT, in the promotion and marketing of Philippine locations/sites/resources and local film production manpower. |
| President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Speech at the 42nd Anniversary of Eastern Samar and Provincial Anti-Poverty Summit, Borongan City, Eastern Samar, November 9, 2007 |
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• On the 42nd anniversary of Eastern Samar, we
have many things to congratulate you for. First, your dramatic reduction in
poverty. It’s faster than the national average. It’s the highest decrease in
Region 8. • Congratulations, Governor Evardone, and congratulations, Congressman Coquilla on your election and forthcoming achievements. • Eradicating poverty is the central mission
of this government and our society. As we enter the holiday season, it is
essential that every person of means helps those in need. The government is
doing everything in its power to be a catalyst for this process. Rice is not
only a staple for our people, it is symbolic of our ability to deliver on
our promise to feed those less fortunate. We are committed to ensuring that
the needy throughout our nation have access to affordable rice during this
important holiday season. • Last night I instructed Secretary Arthur Yap to set up 50 more Tindahan Natin outlets before Christmas. Gov. Evardone and Cong. Coquilla will choose the locations. • We can’t say that we have moved forward as
a nation if we don’t lift up the poor and hungry amongst us. Let us be a
society measured by our ability to live by our faith. • We are cementing the WWII-era Guiuan
airport’s runway and apron. Earlier today I inspected the Jipapad-Lapinig
Road being constructed by the AFP Engineering Brigade out of the President’s
Social Fund. We are also improving the Arteche-Lapinig Road. • Ayon sa survey na lumabas noong Lunes, those living in poverty have declined. But we must accelerate the trend to eliminate poverty more aggressively. That is why, during the holiday and beyond, we will do everything in our power to bring rice to those who need it most and work hard to protect the poor from high prices. • Congratulations also for focusing on the development of your most precious resource – our people. Your lowest town literacy rate is still an admirable 91.95%. Five of your high schools were in the top 20 of the most recent National Achievement Test—with Bobon High School and Hilaboan High School placing 1st and 2nd. Congratulations to them. • Education is a core value of Philippine society and family life. The hard working men and women of this nation put their family first. The best gift a family can give to a child, and any nation can give to its people, is access to a good education. • Education is the foundation of economic
prosperity and individual liberty, justice and self worth. That is why we
will continue to invest in new school construction at the elementary school
level. • We will continue to bolster our college scholarship program for those high school students ready for higher education. • Teachers are the backbone of our educational system. Without these selfless men and women, our children would fall short of their dreams and aspirations. We are deeply indebted to the hard work and dedication of all of our teachers. Their work is noble and patriotic. They deserve the praise and respect of every Filipino. • Congratulations to Borongan City for defeating insurgency. Congratulations to the AFP for dismantling several guerrilla fronts of the Eastern Samar Regional Party Committee. • Through the end of my term, we aim to provide increased political stability, continued economic growth and sustainable peace and order. We will not let the nation slip into election year instability. We want this to be an era of peace, reassurance and hope. • The people can be assured that we lead with a steady hand to guide the nation to a new election and new leadership. We will not falter in keeping our hand on the tiller of the ship of state. • Our goal is to leave this nation stronger and more stable. To provide even more jobs and build more and better schools. And to lift up the poor through investments in infrastructure, healthcare, better housing and improved social justice. • Madamo nga salamat ha iyo suporta and congratulations! |
| PGMA lauds Loyola Heights barangay leaders for setting up Learning Center for 200 street tots |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has lauded the
leadership of Barangay Loyola Heights along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City
for having set up a Learning Center to get some 200 street children off the
streets – and drugs. “Ang galing-galing!” exclaimed the President Thursday (Nov. 8) as she looked around the barangay hall cum kiosk-ed garden of Barangay Loyola Heights where the Learning Center was built by barangay officials who reported that illegal settlers have overrun the supposed subdivision parks for homeowners, and where “mga batang lansangan” indulge in drugs. Loyola Heights Barangay Chair Cesar Noguera said the Learning Center takes care of the pre-school education of some 200 pupils, mostly children of the almost 2,000 squatters who have since set up “depressed areas” in private park lots around the housing subdivisions. In her visit yesterday, the President met with officials of three barangays that line the university lane that is Katipunan Avenue, namely, Pansol, Matandang Balara, and Loyola Heights. The chairs of the three barangays asked the President for relocation sites for their informal settlers even after the Christmas holidays. Pansol chair Dominic Flores said some 5,000 families have settled in private lots in Kaingin 1 and Kaingin 2 which happen to be owned by the VV Soliven Realty. Meanwhile, in Matandang Balara, some 600 to 700 families have set up shanties, according to chair Beda Torreocampo. Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte said Matandang Balara indeed has a “huge” population and that the city government had to buy a 6,000 –square-meter lot sometime ago to build an 18-classroom school building for the youth out of the city’s P1-billion-a-year local education budget. Shanties in the area have to be torn down as these were built on top of the aqueducts. |
| PGMA turns over seven farm roads, other anti-poverty projects to E. Samar LGUs |
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BORONGAN, Eastern Samar -- President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo turned over today to local government units (LGUs) seven
farm-to-market roads (FMRs) costing a total of P48 million as part of a
package of development projects designed to combat poverty in this province. The turnover ceremonies at the provincial capitol grounds here coincided with the 42nd founding anniversary of Eastern Samar, one of the three provinces of Samar Island, the country’s largest after Mindanao. The seven FMRs were constructed under the Department of Agrarian Reform-Asian Development Bank-Agrarian Reform Communities Project (DAR-ADB-ARCP) development program. Other assistance to different sectors in the province included a P1.4-million check under the Core Shelter and P575,000 under the Cash for Work Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD); P4 million under the Calamity Assistance Rehabilitation Effort (CARE), and P1.4 million under the Infrastructure for Rural Productivity Enhancement Sector (INFRES) of the Department of Agriculture (DA). Certificates of award were also handed out for eight units of deep-sea “payao” boats, 50 units gill nets, and one multipurpose vessel under the “Bantay Dagat” program. The President arrived in Borongan this morning via Tacloban City to address the culminating session of the two-day lst Provincial Anti-Poverty Summit convened by Gov. Ben Evardone to provide a venue for poverty stakeholders and intervenors to interface. The anti-poverty strategy conference opened Thursday (Nov. 8) at the provincial capitol building with representatives of regional offices of various national government departments in attendance. The summit seeks to facilitate the drawing up of poverty reduction strategies at the provincial level, as well as elicit commitment of support from local, national and international funding agencies. The President also distributed 154 certificates of land ownership awards (CLOAs) covering 223 hectares of agricultural lands in Oras town to 151 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs). Before proceeding to the provincial capitol for the anti-poverty summit, the President conducted an aerial inspection of the Lapinig-Jipapad road, the only road link between Northern Samar and Eastern Samar along the Pacific seaboard. The completion of the five-kilometer roadway is expected to accelerate the development of the vast agricultural lands along the borders of the two provinces, as well as step up commercial activities between Northern and Eastern Samar. |
| President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Speech at the Region 8 Peace and Security Assembly, Tacloban City, November 9, 2007 |
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• We hold this assembly in the midst of our
continuing gains in keeping terror at bay, drastically reducing insurgency
and advancing the cause of peace. In all security fronts, Region 8 has been
at the vanguard. Congratulations! • The regional crime rate continues to drop. The AFP has dismantled several guerrilla fronts of the Eastern Samar Regional Party Committee. Insurgents have been taken into account, including ranking operatives; and barangays have been removed from rebel control. • We are near declaring the provinces of Leyte and Southern Leyte as insurgent-free. • For over three decades, this region was the cradle of the communist movement that spread throughout the country, but not any more. • Through the end of my term, we aim to provide increased political stability, continued economic growth and sustainable peace and order. We will not let the nation slip into election year instability. We want this to be an era of peace, reassurance and hope. • The people can be assured that we lead with a steady hand to guide the nation to a new election and new leadership. We will not falter in keeping our hand on the tiller of the ship of state. • Our goal is to leave this nation stronger and more stable. To provide even more jobs and build more and better schools. And to lift up the poor through investments in infrastructure, healthcare, better housing and improved social justice. • Eradicating poverty is the central mission of this government and our society. As we enter the holiday season, it is essential that every person of means help those in need. The government is going to do everything in its power to be a catalyst for this process. • Rice is not only a staple for our people, it is symbolic of our ability to deliver on our promise to feed those less fortunate. We are committed to ensuring that the needy throughout our nation have access to affordable rice during this important holiday season. • We can’t say that we have moved forward as a nation if we don’t lift up the poor and hungry amongst us. Let us be a society measured by our ability to live by our faith. • Our long term vision is for the Philippines to reach the verge of First World in 20 years. To do so, we will need a robust middle class, world class infrastructure and strong institutions of government. • The Naval and Maripipi RORO ports in Biliran have been completed. Eight airports in the region are undergoing improvements, including Tacloban, Ormoc and Calbayog. • Yet in the near term, we must address the
very real issues of hunger and poverty that affects us here and now. • From the 1970s through the latter part of the 1990s Region 8’s provinces ranked among the poorest in the country. Only in this decade, in this administration, was a breakthrough achieved for the region’s sustainable development. Your regional employment rate this year has reached 95.3%, higher than the national average. None of your provinces belong to the 10 hungriest or 10 poorest provinces. • But we must accelerate the trend to eliminate poverty more aggressively. That is why, during the holiday season and beyond, we will do everything in our power to bring rice to those who need it most and work hard to protect the poor from high prices. • For the easy transport of agricultural products, farm to market roads have either been built or are being completed. Some LGUs like Ormoc City have added to the national government’s assistance for agriculture and achieved a surplus in rice production. Congratulations! • I am instructing the National Food Authority to set up 100 Tindahan Natin outlets in Region 8 before Christmas. • The people want results, not rhetoric, action not political posturing. Let us get on with the people’s work. • The people of the Philippines are tired of negative political rhetoric. • I thank our congressmen here for demonstrating that when it sets aside self-interest it can produce legislation that improves the quality of life of all Filipinos. The most notable recent example is the bill that reduces the cost of life-giving medicines. • But much more needs to be done to improve human rights, secure budgets for healthcare and education, invest more in peace and order and advance our national interests with other nations on trade, economy and security issues. • Thank you all for what you have done for peace and progress in Region 8. United, we will do even more. Maupay nga kulop and mabuhay! |
| PGMA tells Samareños: "We will not let the nation slip into election year instability" |
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BORONGAN, Eastern Samar – President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo assured today Eastern Samareños that she will not allow the
country to slip into “election instability.” In her address carried nationwide over Radyo ng Bayan during the closing session of the 1st Provincial Anti-Poverty Summit in Eastern Samar, the President said that she wants the remainder of her term to be an era of peace, increased political stability and continued economic growth. She assured the people that she will guide the country with a steady hand to the new elections in 2010. “We will not let the nation slip into election year instability. We want this to be an era of peace, reassurance and hope,” the President stressed. The President arrived here this morning via Tacloban City to meet with local officials, leaders of civil society groups, non-government organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders and keynote the two-day provincial poverty-alleviation strategy session. She also inspected the Lapinig-Jipapad road, a 5.2-kilometer road project that will connect Eastern and Northern Samar along the Pacific seaboard. The project is being undertaken by the 543rd Engineering Construction Battalion of the Philippine Army (PA) and is slated to be completed in July 2008. Located in the northernmost tip of Eastern Samar, Jipapad is listed as the poorest municipality of the province. Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone said the anti-poverty forum was conceived to take a deep look into the various ramifications of the poverty situation in his province and come up with strategies and solutions to the problem. “While reports from the National Census and Coordination Board (NSCB) revealed that poverty incidence in the province declined from 45.8 percent in 2000 to 33.9 percent in 2003, the latest Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) survey result showed a much higher rate,” a briefing paper on the “summit” said. The CBMS data showed a comprehensive picture of the poverty situation in the province in such areas as family income, literacy, access to housing, water and sanitation and other social needs. |
| No more dusty, bumpy trail for Samareños once P20-M road project is completed |
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JIPAPAD, Eastern Samar – The dusty, bumpy travel
in this erstwhile no-man’s land is expected to be a thing of the past with
the coming completion of the P20-million Jipapad-Lapinig Road Project which
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo inspected Friday. The 5.22-kilometer Jipapad-Lapinid Road completes the Samar Circumferential Road Project aimed at easing the flow of transportation, goods and services by connecting Lapinid, Northern Samar with Eastern Samar. It is being undertaken by the 53rd Engineering Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as part of the government's peace building efforts in Eastern Visayas through the Arroyo administration’s Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan (KALAHI) program. The President, accompanied by Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol, arrived at the Tacloban airport in Leyte at 9 a.m. before proceeding to this sleepy town via Presidential chopper. She was warmly welcomed by Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, Leyte Gov. Jericho Petilla, Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone, and Armed Forces Chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon. Officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the 53rd Engineering Brigade of the Philippine Army briefed the President on the status of the project at the Jipapad Elementary School. Aside from the Jipapad-Lapinig Road Project which is undertaken out of the President’s Social Fund, the AFP Engineering Brigade is also improving the Arteche-Lapinig Road in the province. The infrastructure projects, according to Evardone, would also spur the tourism program of Eastern Samar particularly in Guian town that offers attractive places and beaches, including the scenic Calicoan Island. The other KALAHI projects being undertaken include the P386,000 farm-to-market road rehabilitation project in Lavezares, Northern Samar, and the P2.7-million farm-to-market road project in Barangay Obong in Can-avid, Eastern Samar. After the inspection, the President proceeded to the provincial capitol grounds in Borongan, Eastern Samar where she awarded various agricultural, fishery, education, health and other needed social services projects for the province. |
| Leyte and Samar "insurgent free" soon -- PGMA |
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TACLOBAN CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
declared here today that Leyte province would soon be "insurgent-free,"
saying her administration is determined to pursue continued political
stability, economic growth, and sustained peace and order until the end of
her term in 2010 and accelerate the attainment of First World status in 20
years. The President said this in her speech at the closing of the two-day Local Peace and Security Assembly (LPSA) for Region VIII at the Leyte Park Hotel here. "The regional crime rate continues to drop. The AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) has dismantled several guerrilla fronts of the Eastern Samar Regional Party Committee. Insurgents have been taken into account, including ranking operatives; and barangays have been removed from rebel control. We are near declaring the provinces of Leyte and Southern Leyte as insurgent-free," the President said. For decades, the President said Leyte and Samar provinces have been the cradle of insurgency in Region 8 but not anymore. "Through the end of my term, we aim to provide increased political stability, continued economic growth and sustainable peace and order," the President said. The President said the central mission of her administration is to eradicate poverty that usually breeds insurgency. Because of various reforms, the President said the government now has the means to provide better infrastructure, housing, healthcare and other social services to help bring peace and development in the country. "Our goal is to leave this nation stronger and more stable. To provide even more jobs and build more and better schools. And to lift up the poor through investments in infrastructure, healthcare, better housing and improved social justice. Eradicating poverty is the central mission of this government and our society," the President said. She said the holding of LPSAs is a sure way of helping the local governments cope with the increasing demands and social needs of their populace. The President also thanked congressmen for setting aside self-interest in passing legislations to improve the lives of the people such as the bill drastically reducing the cost of medicines. During the LPSA, the President also received from Calbayog City Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento the output resolution and action agenda of the two-day assembly requesting the help of the national government in the maintenance and completion of vital roads and priority infrastructure and other support facilities necessary for people empowerment and community development. "We will study your proposals very seriously and prioritize our spending in Region 8 in accordance with the priorities you have set out in this very important document," the President said. The President has ordered the conduct of LPSAs in strategic areas of the country to help bring peace and reduce poverty by helping the action agenda for peace and development of every region. The President also directed the National Food Authority (NFA) to set up 100 Tindahan Natin outlets in Region 8 before Christmas. In an interview this morning, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said the conduct of LPSAs would surely reinforce the amnesty program for the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) that the President has proposed to Congress. "Definitely this is the right direction to take. We want to give them back the window of opportunity for them to go back to the mainstream and become more productive members of society," Esperon said. Esperon said the insurgency problem in Samar has been "substantially weakened" including in Leyte where the government forces "are laying out the final touches" to eliminate insurgency in the region. |
