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| 06 OCTOBER 2007 | ||
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| 06 OCTOBER 2007 | ||
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye Re: Would-Be Impeachers |
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It is a waste of the people’s time and money. We
are confident that the people will support continuity and reform. Instead of dabbling in a lost cause, her detractors should follow the President’s lead for sustained growth and global competitiveness. We therefore urge this isolated group of would-be impeachers to cut the petty grandstanding and join us instead in the people’s business of moving the Philippines forward. |
| Poverty alleviation tops PGMA's main goals in the next 3 years |
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NEW DELHI, India (via PLDT) -
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said here Friday that with the Philippines
now on the path to permanent economic growth and stability, poverty
alleviation would be her administration’s primary goal during the next three
years ending in 2010. The President disclosed this during her informal interaction yesterday afternoon at the Oberoi Hotel in this Indian capital with members of the Philippine media delegation covering her Oct. 2-6 visits to China and India. She said increased government earnings or revenues either through raising the effective collection of taxes or sale of government assets is necessary component of poverty alleviation. With the raised revenues, she said the next important thing to do in the next three years is to invest more in human resources and physical infrastructures to create jobs and upgrade the country’s competitiveness. She said social services, like making cheap medicines available, improved healthcare and anti-hunger campaign, which are already being addressed by her administration, are also important components of the poverty reduction program of her administration. The President also cited the importance of the government’s food-for-schools and the classroom provision programs in the overall agenda to increase access to education, especially by the poor, as education is one of the most important weapons in the fight against poverty. "Now, we are down to 45 students to one classroom at two shifts, with better textbooks and teacher training in bilingual instruction,” she said. Another main concern of poverty alleviation, she said, is to cut down on red tape and eradication of corruption in government projects so that both the big and small businessmen could create wealth and jobs with least expenses. "I make difficult decisions but I made permanent changes in the economy, I dwelt on infrastructure, I brought down the rate of poverty in the past," she said. She said she would not mind if her successor in the presidency at the expiration of her term in June 2010 would not give credit to her for all the good things she has done to move the Philippines on a path to permanent economic growth. "Credit is not part of the formula. So let him take the credit," she said. |
| PGMA brings home US $2 billion worth of trade and investment from India |
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AGRA, India (via PLDT) --
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo left India today for Manila bringing with
her more than US$2 billion worth of trade and investment she reaped during
her three-day fruitful state visit here. The biggest investment that the President would bring home is the US$1.6 billion investment of Ispat Industries Ltd. for the establishment of the first large steel mill in the country in years to be put up in southern Philippines. Ispat Industries, owner of Global Steel Philippines, is the country's biggest producer and exporter of various steel products after acquiring the Iligan steel mill of the National Steel Corporation (NSC) for $225 million in 2004. Global Steel now joins the billion-dollar club of investors that include Texas Instruments and AES Corporation of the US, Hanjin Corporation of Korea, and Marubeni Corporation of Japan. Aside from this, the President also bagged several million-dollar investments from India’s ICT and BPO companies such as Sutherland Global Services, Hinduja Corporation, and WNS Corporation which have committed to set up call centers and training facilities in Manila, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, Davao and other provinces in the country. The President also announced several new investments on energy from Indian companies like Praj Industries which will set up a multi-million dollar bio-ethanol plant in the Philippines, and Kalpataru Power Transmission which would participate in the bidding for the privatization of the National Power Corporation’s transmission grid in December. In the health and medicine sector, five agreements worth some $170 million were signed between Indian and Filipino private companies, which would assure the continuous supply of low-cost medicines into the Philippines. These include the MOA signed between the Philippine International Trading Corporation and the State Trading Corporation of India for $35 million worth of medicines that would be sold in Botika ng Barangay outlets throughout the Philippines under the President's half-priced medicines initiative. On the diplomatic front, nine bilateral agreements were signed between the Philippines and India following President Arroyo's meeting with India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil which would strengthen the relationship of the two countries in the areas of trade and investments, health, energy, agriculture, tourism and culture, and defense and security. In her series of meetings with Indian businessmen, the President was able to secure a commitment from top Indian film producer Aditya Raj Kapoor to produce a movie in the Philippines next year which would pave the way for more collaboration between Filipino and Indian filmmakers. The President was also able to secure an investment commitment from Taj Resorts and Hotels to consider Central Philippines tourism beltway as possible site for its next multi-million dollar hotel and tourism project. Other investment commitments she bagged are: a $50 million credit line from the Export and Import Bank of India for the financing of supply of gems and jewelry polishing equipment from India to the Philippines; A memorandum of agreement between the Philippines and India for the establishment of an Indian business process outsourcing (BPO) company named Credence Analytics with the Philippines‘ IPVG Corp; RP-India Joint Declaration for cooperation to combat international terrorism and agreement on the establishment of a joint commission on bilateral cooperation. The Philippines and India also signed memorandum of agreement on the exemption of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and official passport; memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines and the Foreign Service institute of India. The President and her official delegation toured the world-famous Taj Mahal here this morning and had plenty of photo opportunities in the world heritage site before departing back for Manila. |
| PGMA brushes aside new impeachment complaint files against her in the House |
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AGRA, India (via PLDT) -
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today brushed aside the new impeachment
complaint filed against her in the House of Representatives as “petty
grandstanding,” “waste of time” and “counter productive.” The President said nation-building is her primary concern and she does not mixed her work with political talks. "I am focused on nation-building, I concentrate on my work. I do not dwell on political bickerings," she said. She said part of her formula to stand out from political talks is energy management. "Energy management, that is how you call it," she said, adding that it includes time management, exercise, sleeping on right time, praying and focusing. She noted that if she tends to dwell on political issues, it would derail her focus and concentration. "If I have to attend to everything with all these political nightmares, my energy would make me derailed. You have to focus so that your energy would not go wrong. Well, it matters," she said. Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye echoed the message of the President in a statement today and described all political bickerings as a waste of people's time and money. Bunye expressed confidence that the people will support continuity and reform, and “instead of dabbling in a lost cause, her detractors should follow the President's lead for sustained growth and global competitiveness.” The Press Secretary issued the statement after an impeachment complaint was filed on Friday against President Arroyo at the House of Representatives by lawyer Ruel Pulido, who used to represent the Magdalo soldiers in the failed 2003 Oakwood mutiny. "We therefore urge this isolated group of would-be impeachers to cut the petty grandstanding and join us instead in the people's business of moving the Philippines forward," he said. |
