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| 18 OCTOBER 2007 | ||
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| 18 OCTOBER 2007 | ||
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| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye |
| Talks that Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has resigned or is planning to resign are absolutely untrue. |
| Statement of Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo: Reforms must be done by the entire political establishment |
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The Presidential Anti-Graft Commission
investigation ordered by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regarding alleged
cash gifts to congressmen and governors should determine if any public funds
were disbursed, if any laws were broken, and if any punitive or remedial
measures should be taken to deter and prevent violations of law in the
future. Along with the Palace probe, the political establishment, including the opposition, must undertake its own remedial measures, including campaign finance legislation, which the President had certified as priority in the past. Money politics did not start with this administration, and it will not end if only the administration will address it. We pay careful attention to the sentiments of our people, including our men and women in uniform, regarding the current controversy. We will address their concerns and safeguard their interest and welfare above all. And what the nation needs most today is to sustain the economic growth and investor confidence now bringing a better life to more and more of our people. That means advancing the political maturity which has enabled the nation weather the turmoil of recent years. Except for a misguided few, our people have rightly set aside extra-constitutional actions in resolving political issues. We are now rewarded with global confidence in our stability as a nation, and the vindication of our trust in duly constituted democratic processes, as seen in the overall results of the last elections. We support the call to purge corruption from all three branches of government and across the political spectrum. In this regard, we may need to review major agency policies, programs, and projects, to check if there was any undue interference by politicians which may require remedial action by the government as well as further investigation by anti-graft bodies. The President and the Cabinet join hands with our people in their struggle for political reform and national progress. |
| Landless no more in Sarangani |
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ALABEL, Sarangani Province— Finally, after a
long wait, 350 farmers in this province now have farmlots they can call
their own. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo formalized today the farmers’ transition from landless to farmlot owners during a well-attended ceremony held at the provincial capitol in Sarangani, the country’s southernmost province. All the seven mayors of this province were present as the President distributed the land patents, namely Corazon Grafilo of Alabel, Enrique Yap, Glan; Rommel Falgui, Kiamba; Anecito Lopez, Maasim; Aida Singcoy, Malapatan; Lucille Perret, Maitum, and Reynaldo Constantino of Malungon. More than 250, or close to one-third of the 1,021 patents went to the town of Malapatan. The President was assisted in the distribution of the patents by Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Joselito Atienza. Also present was Filipino boxing idol Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao, who joined the reception line for the President, later joined the Chief Executive at the stage. The 1,021 titles/patents cover a total land area of 3,210 hectares. Pursuant to Republic Act No. 6657, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, and Republic Act No. 9176 which extends the Free Patent Law up to Dec. 31, 2020, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is mandated to distribute patents/titles over alienable and disposable (A&D) lands of the public domain that are suitable for agriculture. The release of the patents, which was done in tandem with the registration of deeds, was in keeping with the President’s commitment in her State of the Nation Address (SONA). Sarangani has a total land area of 3,957.54 square kilometers, with the town of Malungon having the biggest land area at 896.63 square kilometers. |
| PGMA unperturbed by the political noise, distractions, says Bunye |
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Despite the swirling political noise, President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo remains focused on governance and will not allow
herself to be distracted, according to Press Secretary and Presidential
Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye. In an interview following the awarding ceremony of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) which President Arroyo graced in Malacanang this afternoon, Bunye said the Chief Executive follows her daily schedule and in fact came to the event fresh from her provincial sorties in Camiguin, Agusan del Sur, Butuan City and Sarangani Province in Mindanao. “There are distractions but we will not allow ourselves to be distracted by the political noise,” he said, referring to reports that several Cabinet secretaries, including Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita had reportedly resigned. Ermita, according to Bunye, has even called him up to deny the reports. “It seems rumor mongering has replaced basketball as our national pastime,” he said in jest. “We’re doing our normal activities here (Malacanang). Secretary Ermita was in the Guesthouse this morning presiding over a meeting.” The President, Bunye said, will remain focused on her job and will not be sidetracked by the controversies. Even the business sector, he said, has ignored the political noise as proven by the continued strong performance of the peso and stock market. As to calls for resignation of several Cabinet officials, Bunye said it is the President’s prerogative to keep a Cabinet official who has her trust and confidence. |
| President vows to focus on poverty alleviation, anti-corruption programs |
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ALABEL, Sarangani Province – President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo vowed today to focus on her administration’s “overarching
goal” of poverty alleviation and “eliminating corruption from the system.”
Speaking before a jam-packed provincial gym here the President said: “Poverty alleviation is our overarching goal. We will continue to focus on (this) in the remainder of my term.” Introduced by Environment Secretary Joselito Atienza as “ang ating minamahal at kapita-pitagang Pangulo,” the President, in a cool blue pants suit ensemble, stressed that “balancing the budget is just the first step” in her goal to eliminate poverty. “Over the next three years, we will translate the positive results of our reforms to real benefits for our people. We will increase investment in our country and our people” to: improve the country’s infrastructure to create an environment in which businesses feel confident to expand and employ more people, because more jobs means less poverty; improve social services such as health insurance subsidies for indigent families, and food for school programs; boost educational support to reduce poverty by investing in better school buildings, new textbooks and teaching materials, and training programs for teachers and school administrators; and cutting red tape and continuing to eliminate corruption from the system. The President graced the Regional (Region Xll) Cooperatives Summit here and presented awards to five millionaire cooperatives in the area. Three of the awardees are from South Cotabato. Pointing out that her administration had successfully promoted a new entrepreneurial class in micro-finance, she said that already “we see signs of the current benign, stable growth conditions sparking a wave of entrepreneurial activity in the Philippines. We need a vibrant middle class if we are to reach the verge of the First World in 20 years, which is my aspiration. “In several key areas, we have promoted a new entrepreneurial class. One is microfinance, where the system has extended (loans worth) more than P80 billion (to) low-income men and women who want to start their own businesses. “Our Central Bank is creating a series of investment incentives and programs for foreign remittances to be invested into capital enterprises. “Sa middle income bracket naman, sukad sa tuig 2004, nakapahulam na nag mga bangko ug P100 billion sa 50,000 ka tawo. (In the middle-income bracket, since 2004, banks have lent some P100 billion to 50,000 people.)” The President also distributed 350 land patents covering 3,210 hectares to some 1,000 farmers in Sarangani for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). She also officiated at the ceremonial turnover of the DENR’s P357-million Septage Treatment Facility Project, which covers six towns of Sarangani and one town of Davao del Sur, and the turnover of the Department of Agriculture’s P7.1-million Tahayako-Datal Basak Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) in Maasim town. Her other activities here included the following: Turnover of the DA’s P3.4-million Sufatubo-Baliton FRM in the town of Glan. Turnover of the DA’s P4-million Lower Biangan Communal Irrigation System (CIS) Rehabilitation project in Barangay Poblacion Malungon. Turnover of the DA-BFAR’s five multi-purpose boats worth a total of P1 million for the five coastal municipalities of Alabel, Glan, Kiamba, Maitum, and Malapatan; Turnover of P100,000 worth of Botika sa Barangay medicines for Barangays Lebe and Suli in Kiamba; Barangay Lumastil in Maasim; and Barangay Glan Padidu in Glan town at P25,000 each; and Ceremonial distribution of a kilo of rice each to identified pre-school to Grave VI pupils under the government’s Priority Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program. |
| 25,000 co-ops earn P20 billion in 6 years as they uplift lives of 5.5M Filipinos |
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ALABEL, Sarangani—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
said today that the country’s 25,000 active cooperatives have uplifted the
lives of 5.5 million Filipinos in the past six years with their transactions
totaling P50 billion. Gracing the Regional (Region XII) Cooperatives Summit at the provincial capitol here where she presented awards to the five outstanding cooperatives in the region for this year, the President said in the local Visayan dialect: “Labaw sa 25,000 ka aktibong kooperatiba sa nasod maoy partner nato aron makalingkawas sa kapobrehon ang 5.5 million ka Pilipino sa niaging unom ka tuig. (More than 25,000 active cooperatives of the Philippines have been our partners in alleviating the lives of 5.5 million Filipinos in the past six years.)” Of the P50-billion worth of transactions, the cooperatives made P20 billion in earnings, half (P10 billion) of which they later plowed back in capital investment, the President said. (“Sa mi-aging tuig, and suma sa transaksyong nahimo sa mga kooperatiba sa Pilipinas gabili ug P50 billion. Ang mga kooperatiba maoy nagtipig ug hapit P20 billion ug naka-pool ug halos P10 billion nga capital investment.” “Daghan gayod ug nahimo ang inyong sector alang sa trabaho. Dako ang gitabang ninyo aron padaghanon ang mga gagmay nga negosyante. Silang tanan nagtabang sa atong programa sa pagpausbaw sa micro, small and medium enterprises. (Your sector has helped a lot in employment generation. You also helped a lot in multiplying the number of small businessmen. You all helped in our program to help micro, small and medium enterprises flourish.)” The President said she was heartened that the Regional Cooperative Development Council (RCDC) had lined up several projects and activities which have been alleviating the lives of cooperative members in the region. “Nalipay gayod ako nga ang inyong RCDC dunay daghang aktibidades nga makahatag ug kaayuhan sa inyong mga myembro ug sa tibuok rehiyon.” She then called on cooperative members in the audience to support their own dreams of putting up their common gasoline station; coming up with one insurance provider; and the merger of small cooperative banks into one big cooperative bank. “Angay suportahan kining inyong mga plano aron magpatindog ug common gasoline station; magkuha ug usa ra ka insurance provider; u gang merger sa mga gagmay nga bangkong kooperatiba aron mahimo ug usa ra apan mas dako nga bangko.” A project of the Regional Cooperative Development Council (RCDC) of Region XII, winning cooperatives are chosen from the following sectors: multi-purpose agriculture; non-agriculture; credit; health services; and transport services. The outstanding cooperatives in the region by sector are: Polo Samahang Nayon Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MPC) of Polo, Polomolok, South Cotabato, the awardee for the multi-purpose agriculture sector; Dolefil Employees Cooperative Complex (DECCO) at the DOLE Complex in South Cotabato, for the non-agriculture sector; Lucky 7 Public School Teachers Credit Cooperative, of Polo, Polomolok, South Cotabato, for the credit sector; Community Health Services Cooperative of Midsayap, North Cotabato, for health services; and Bio-Crest Multi-Purpose Cooperative of General Santos City, for transport services. The above winning cooperatives are millionaires all, with DECCO the most successful of all, what with total assets worth P316.8 million as of December 2006 from its operation of appliance centers, pawnshops, gas stations, LPG and motorcycle dealership, and even memorial parks. In closing, the President congratulated the five successful millionaire cooperatives for bringing progress (“kalinaw ug kauswagan”) to Mindanao. |
| PGMA honors top women achievers in Malacañang |
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Although she did not deliver a speech, President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appeared very much at ease in the company of her
fellow women achievers at the Rizal Hall of Malacanang this afternoon. Occasion was the awarding ceremony of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) where she personally handed out the awards to 10 women, who this year have made a significant impact on the community, their field of expertise and the country’s economic and social and cultural development. Garbed in an aquamarine business suit and coming straight from a provincial sortie in Sarangani, the country’s southernmost province, the President even posed for souvenir pictures with the awardees who were chosen for their achievement, personality, commitment and pioneering zeal. Honored in a special audience with the President were Dina Ocampo, education; Catherine Vistro-Yu, education; Glecy Cruz-Atienza, arts and culture; Eva Maria Cutiongco-de la Paz, medicine; Hilly Ann Maria Roa-Quiaoit, environmental conservation; Elizabeth Lee, business; Maria Corazon de Ungria, science; Alexandra Romualdez, media; and Maria Ressa, media, and Allysa Peleo-Alampay, science. This year marks the first time that the Metrobank Foundation served as the technical resource partner of the TOWNS search, an initiative that institutionalizes the Foundation’s involvement with the TOWNS Foundation, starting in 1998. TOWNS awards are given every three years to Filipino women, aged between 21 and 45 years, who have shown exceptional talent and devotion to their career and have rendered exemplary service to the nation. Eleven batches of women professionals totaling 128 in three decades since 1974 have so far received the TOWNS awards. |
| Ermita raps opposition for sowing political intrigues |
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Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita denied today
reports on his impending resignation from the Cabinet and described the
rumor as part of another effort to sow intrigue. “They want to try to show
that the administration is having troubles,” Ermita said. He said his fellow Cabinet members “are all in.” He said the reports are “only to show that the administration is in disarray at nagkakagulo na kami. Eto nga puro kami trabaho.” Ermita made the statement while he was in meeting with Secretary Sergio Apostol, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Joaquin Lagonera, and other Palace lawyers. He, however, refused to comment on the alleged Palace payoffs as claimed by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante. Ermita said the opposition’s claim that the President can be ousted for graft is not surprising coming from the opposition. “That’s expected. You cannot expect them to say otherwise, kaya nga nasa kabila sila. Gusto lang naman nila na magpakita na they’re present. They want to make their presence felt pero it does not mean na totoo ang mga sinasabi nila.” On the President’s order to the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) not being well received by the opposition, Ermita said: “Sobra naman yan, pagbigyan natin ang Presidente, she has her way of managing, running the affairs of government, pagbigyan natin siya. Let the investigation run its course. Alangan naman lahat ng mga pakikialam pagbigyan, let her run the government. Pakikialam na naman yan. Give the investigation a chance.” On the issue of appointments being by-passed by the Commission on Appointments (CA), Ermita said there is no law nor prohibition from the Constitution that disallows the President from appointing or reappointing. Now, according to Secretary Apostol, if Sen. Benigno Aquino III’s bill becomes a law, then that will follow. “But as of the moment, it’s the President’s prerogative,” he said. |
