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| 01 OCTOBER 2007 | ||
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| 01 OCTOBER 2007 | ||
| PGMA receives credentials of 3 new envoys to RP |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo welcomed today
the new ambassadors of Japan, China and Sri Lanka who presented their
credentials to the Chief Executive in Malacañang. First to be welcomed by the President at Malacañang’s Rizal Hall at 10 a.m. was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Makoto Katsura of Japan. Katsura was accorded foyer honors by members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) who performed a snappy salute to welcome Japan’s ambassador. He was then ushered to the second floor for the signing of the Malacañang Guest Book that contains the names and signatures of all foreign and local dignitaries who have come to visit the President’s official home. After the guest book signing, Katsura and his party, composed of his wife Yasuko and other Japanese embassy officials, were led to the Rizal Hall where he personally handed his credentials to President Arroyo. “I look forward to your tour of duty,” the President told Katsura, who succeeded Ambassador Ryuichiro Yamazaki who completed his diplomatic posting in Manila last Sept. 15. After accepting the credentials, the President and Katsura then had a closed-door meeting at the nearby Music Room of the Palace. Next to present his credentials was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Song Tao of the People’s Republic of China who arrived 30 minutes after Katsura at 10:30 a.m. Ambassador Song was also accorded foyer honors before he signed the guest book and met with the President for the formal submission of his credentials. The President and Ambassador Song also had a closed-door meeting at the Music Room. Last to present his credentials at 11 a.m. was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Alahakoon Mudiyanselage Aloysius Nissanka Ratnayake of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. |
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye Re: Chairman Abalos |
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We respect his decision and appreciate his
desire to protect his family and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from
vicious politics. We wish him well as he carries on his fight to clear his name. |
| President scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning in Shanghai |
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SHANGHAI, China (via PLDT) - President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo is scheduled to arrive at the Hongquiao International
Airport in Shanghai at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) after about four hours
flight from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila. From the airport, the President and her party will motor to the Eton Hotel in Pudong Da Dao, Pudong New District where she is billeted for her two-day visit here. Shortly after her arrival, the President will hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, her first official engagement in Shanghai, at the XI Jiao Guesthouse of the Chinese leader at 1220 Hong Quiao Road. After the bilateral talks, President Hu will host a welcome banquet in honor of his Philippine counterpart and her delegation. The President will also address the Shanghai Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SOCCC), the influential business community here, and the Philippine Business Investment Forum (PBIF). After the welcome banquet, the President will proceed to the Le Royal Meridien Hotel on 789 Nanjing, East Road to keynote the PBIF, which was organized by the SOCCC and the Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CPIT). SOCCC is a non-profit social organization composed of Chinese residing abroad, Hong Kong and Macao. Its members include owners of business corporations and others enterprises with huge investments in Shanghai. On the sidelines of her official visit here, the President is scheduled to meet Director General Zhou Bo of the Shanghai Municipal Economic Mission, top executives of the SOCCC, Chairman Cen Furong of the Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai (CPITS), and famous Chinese sculptor Wu Wei Sun. In the evening of her first day here, the President is scheduled to attend the opening rites of the Special Olympics at the Shanghai Stadium in Tianyaoquiao Road to boost the morale of the Philippine contingent participating in the sports event. Participants of the Special Olympics are athletes with special intellectual disabilities, dubbed as special athletes, from around the globe. On her second day here, the President is scheduled to visit Liwayway (China) Co. Ltd. Pioneering small entrepreneurs, Liwayway factory owned by Carlos Chan, has drawn inspiration from the small entrepreneurs across Asia. The roots of Liwayway factory can be traced back to post-war Manila. In 1966, Liwayway Marketing Corporation started distributing starch, coffee, confectioneries, and basic commodities. After the factory visit, the President will address the Global Policy Summit on the Well-Being of People with Intellectual Disabilities at the 7th Floor of the Shanghai International Convention Center along Riverside Avenue in Pudong District before leaving for India on the second leg of her Asian trip. |
| PGMA orders Razon to address extrajudicial killings |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered today newly-installed Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Avelino Razon to put a stop to the killings of political activists and journalists. The President issued the directive during the turnover of command of the PNP from Director General Oscar Calderon to Razon at Camp Crame in Quezon City. The President said while Razon must continue Calderon’s task to lead the fight against insurgency and criminality, he has an additional task of addressing extrajudicial killings. “In addition, I instruct General Razon to continue to be on top of Task Force Usig. However, his perspective must be wider now: It must not only be on police action, but the entire criminal justice system,” the President said. She ordered Razon to immediately submit a report on updates on the murders. “The first report I want to receive from him is an update on arrests, convictions and imprisonment of those responsible for the killings of political activists and journalists," the President said. She said that if Gen. Calderon left a legacy on housing for the uniformed men, Razon’s legacy must be the “protection of human rights.” “We deplore any and all killings of political activists and journalists,” the President said, adding that she has met with the journalist community and human rights activists to resolve once and for all extrajudicial killings and put a stop to human rights abuses. To put a stop to the killings, the President said her administration is following the recommendations of the Melo Commission to establish separate courts, expedite prosecutions, expand victim assistance and increase funding for more investigators. And, if there are rogue elements in the military and police force, the President said “they must be brought to justice.” Noting that the Philippines has a long history of political violence, she expressed hope that this cycle would be broken “once and for all” in order to achieve economic progress even in the remotest barangay in the country. The President also said that terrorists like the Abu Sayyaf and armed communists are a threat to the nation’s sovereignty and “must be checked once and for all. She said the Abu Sayyaf terrorists are a “menace to peace and beacon for international thugs who wish to join their ranks” while the communist rebels “impede the progress and development of a number of rural areas and they are responsible for a wide range of human rights abuses.” For the Philippines to be a modernized nation in the next two decades, the President said there is an urgent need to put a stop to ideological nonsense and criminal acts. She said the police force is government’s partner in the war against poverty because without peace and order in an area, government would not be able to deliver basic social services. The President said there is no economic advancement and social progress without respect for the rule of law, which is rendered effective by the presence of policemen on the beat, the trust of the community and by sterling conduct of law enforcers. The President said the world is now looking at the Philippines and how it could sustain its economic gains with a solid foundation of law and order, thus the need to end criminality and terrorism. “Sonny Razon should see to it that the war against criminality and terrorism is sustained at the grassroots level; and that evil is kept at bay in the streets and the countryside,” she said. At the same time, the President said Razon must also strive to “keep the good name of the police force through good performance and organizational discipline within the ranks.” “People’s perception of government is, in large part, dictated by what they experience on a daily basis with policemen. If they suffer indifference and abuse in the hands of law enforcers, they are likely to harbor negative views of the whole government,” the President said. “But if our policemen respond fast to contingencies and remain honest and fair, then our citizenry will embrace them, as well as the entire government, as their protectors,” she added. Thus, the President said it is important that the police maintain close links with the community. She asked Razon to continue to transform the police force into a better organization “that lies at the foundation of our criminal justice system” and at the same time the “bulwark of economic development, social justice and political stability. |
| Sino investors still keen on RP, says Consul General |
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SHANGHAI, China (via PLDT) – Despite the
controversy over the ZTE broadband deal, Chinese investors remain upbeat on
the Philippines, according to Philippine Consul General Rowena Mendoza
Sanchez. Chinese newspapers, according to Sanchez, didn’t even bother to carry the story nor was the issue raised during business conferences in this sprawling metropolis considered as the "engine of growth of the whole of China." "China is still upbeat about investing in the Philippines," Sanchez said in an interview this morning at the Eton Hotel here. The Shanghai leg of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's two-day official visit to the People's Republic of China starting tomorrow will definitely generate more investments in the Philippines according to Sanchez. Sanchez said the Chinese government respects the decision of the Philippines on the ZTE issue and is not concerned at all by the controversy over the broadband deal. “It is still a policy of the Chinese government to encourage businessmen to invest in the Philippines, “she said. Sanchez noted that Chinese businessmen are pushing through with their investments in the Philippines, adding that the President's visit here as keynote speaker of the Philippine Business and Investment Forum (PBIF) is a welcome opportunity to further entice more Chinese investments to the Philippines. "Last year alone, double digit ang economic growth rate ng Shanghai and that being the case, the Shanghai government has really made it a policy to encourage their businessmen to invest overseas. That is why it is very important for us now to present the investment opportunities in the Philippines," Sanchez said. The PBIF which was organized by the Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Shanghai Overseas Chamber of Commerce, according to her, was requested by the Chinese businessmen themselves. The participants in the forum, Sanchez pointed out, ballooned to 300 from the initial 100 chief executive officers (CEOs) of top Chinese corporations. "The business forum, which is sponsored by the Shanghai Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, has gotten together to promote the Philippines,” she said. “So this is what the forum is all about and we have no less than the Head of State encouraging Shanghainese and Chinese businessmen to invest in the Philippines. I think we can expect very good outcomes from this forum," she added. Chinese businessmen, according to Sanchez, have expressed interest in investing outsourcing because they know that the Philippines is one of the leaders in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. Chinese investors, she added are also keen on mining, transportation and tourism as well as agricultural particularly Philippine bananas. To date, the Philippines and China equally benefit from a two-way trade valued last year at over $1 billion. Among the Philippine businesses here are the Eton Hotel owned by Lucio Tan where the President would be billeted when she arrives Tuesday morning, the branches of Bench, Jollibee, and Liwayway Holdings Company Limited which have over 100 varieties of snack foods including the famous Oishi brand. Liwayway Marketing Corporation traces its beginnings to the Philippines during the post-war era as a small family business engaged in repacking corn starch. The President will keynote the Global Policy Summit on the Well-Being of People with Intellectual Disabilities during the second day of her visit here on Wednesday. On Wednesday night, the President, together with other heads of state and leaders, will be guests during the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics (for persons with disabilities) at the Shanghai stadium. The 52-member Philippine delegation would also be competing for the first time in 10 sports events; badminton, basketball, powerlifting, aquatics, athletics, table tennis, gymnastics, football, and bowling. |
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye Re: Feast of Ramadhan |
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Proclamation No. 1397 declares Friday, Oct. 12,
2007, as a regular holiday throughout the country in observance of Eid’l
Fitr (Feast of Ramadhan). It is issued only now because the Muslim holiday is subject to the sighting of new moon. |
| PGMA assures Valenzuela City of abundant and potable water before the end of 2008 |
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Ensuring that every Filipino would have enough
supply of clean and potable water before 2010 when she bows out of office,
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited this afternoon Valenzuela, one of
the most populous cities in Metro Manila, to personally check on the
upgrading of water facilities and services in the area. From Camp Crame, Quezon City where she presided over the change of command at the Philippine National Police, the President braved the rains and proceeded to Valenzuela City to address a “Pulong Bayan” with the theme: “Upgrading of water facilities and services.” Maynilad Water Services President Rogelio Singson was on hand to brief the people of Valenzuela City and the President on the progress of his company’s water project in the area. Singson informed that by the first half of 2008, almost all households in the city would then be enjoying abundant and clean water as Maynilad has earmarked P525 million in order to provide clean water to at least 27,000 households in the city. He added that in the next five years, 99 percent of the metropolis would be supplied with potable water with Maynilad spending around P26 billion. He said that at present, only four out of the 32 barangays of Valenzuela City are not supplied with potable water although there are some high-levelled barangays that have low water pressure that is now being addressed by Maynilad through the installation of water booster pumps. Other concerns raised by the residents, who came to see the President at the Marulas Elementary School, include floods in their area and lack of fire hydrants. The President instructed Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando to address these concerns. The President also awarded six certificates to operate “Tindahan Natin” and 125 Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) scholarship vouchers to residents of barangays Gen. T. de Leon, Karuhatan, Ugong, Paso de Blas, Parada and Marulas. PhilHealth cards were also distributed to ensure that the poor could avail themselves of quality health services. The President was welcomed by Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian, Rep. Rex Gatchalian and Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo, among others. |
