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| 29 OCTOBER 2007 | ||
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| 29 OCTOBER 2007 | ||
| President joins Filipino voters in choosing new barangay officials |
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LUBAO, Pampanga -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
led millions of Filipinos in exercising their Constitutional right of
suffrage by going to the polls today to elect their new barangay and youth
leaders. The President motored this morning from Malacañang to her father's hometown of Lubao, Pampanga and joined her provincemates in choosing the officials who should lead their barangays. Arriving at the Lubao Elementary School, Barangay San Nicolas 1st here at 9:30 a.m., half an hour earlier than the 10 a.m. original schedule, the President immediately proceeded to the school's Gabaldon Building to check her name on the computerized list of voters. The President was listed as voter No. 86 out of 198 registered voters of polling Precinct I-A where she also voted during the 2004 and 2007 national and local elections. Three other Macapagal relatives were listed after the President's name, including her brother Diosdado Macaraeg Macapagal Jr. Polling Precinct 1 is stationed in a classroom of the Paaralang Elementarya ng Lubao, Hilagang Distrito ng Lubao. The classroom, with a simple comfort room inside, is normally occupied by Grade III-A pupils under Mrs. Emily Calalang. After verifying that her name was on the posted list of voters, the President then proceeded to her designated precinct and stood in line like an ordinary voter while waiting for the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) to verify her name on the Election Day Computerized Voters’ List and Voting Records. After about 15 minutes of waiting, the President was then given her ballot. She took her place at the back portion of the first row and quietly filled out her ballot. Within three minutes, the President folded her ballot, stood up and after posing for the requisite photo opportunity, she dropped her ballot into the ballot box. After having her index finger marked with indelible ink, the President boarded her car which took her to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga for her flight to Dumaguete City to speak at the National Conference on Integrated Taxation System (ITAX) at the Oriental Negros Convention Center. |
| PGMA's alternative fuel program gets support from Negros tuba-tuba farms |
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DUMAGUETE CITY --President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s
thrust to make the country independent from imported crude oil got its much
needed support from the province of Negros Oriental’s development of
jatropha plantations. At the same time, the development of jatropha plantations would have also created new jobs in the countryside, another thrust of the President to improve the lives of the people. Upon her arrival here at noon today, the President was given a briefing by former Negros Oriental Rep. Herminio Teves on the Tamlang Valley Jatropha Plantation where some 50,000 hectares of private land are being planted to jatropha beginning last July, in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Jatropha or locally known as tuba-tuba is a very rich source of biodiesel. The jatropha plantation covers the towns of Siaton, Sta. Catalina, Sibulan and Pamplona while the jatropha oil extraction mill and turbine generator designed by Vyncho Company of Belgium and fabricated in China would be set up in the town of Siaton, Teves said. The plant would be operational by 2009 for a 25,000-hectare plantation, six days per week operation, 47 weeks a year. Teves informed the President that the power generator would be able to produce some 20 MW power in two years or by 2009. To this, the President said that this would fill up a part of the 100 MW power gap in the Visayas by 2009. The President also stressed the importance of the mill and turbine generator as well as the construction of farm-to-market roads in the area, thus she instructed Teves to coordinate with the Department of Agriculture (DA) so the agency could allocate the funds. So far, of the targeted area for jatropha plantation in the province, some 391 hectares have already been planted to about 800,000 jatropha plants. Teves said it takes two years for a jatropha plant to yield seeds that could be extracted for oil. The endeavor so far has created 302 jobs for the residents of Tamlang Valley. Negros Oriental has been in the forefront in complementing the government’s efforts for energy sufficiency specifically in geothermal and biofuels (alternative fuels from jatropha and sugarcane) where the province is rich in these resources. The President was scheduled to conduct an aerial inspection of the jatropha plantation but not so favorable weather prevented her to see the Tamlang Valley jatropha plantation. |
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Highlights of President Macapagal-Arroyo's speech at the First
International Conference on Integrated Taxation Negros Oriental Convention Center October 29, 2007 |
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- Our economic
strength is largely attributed to the various financial reforms, including
strong revenue measures. - The single biggest act that led to the surge in the economy was the passage of the Expanded Value Added Tax (EVAT) Law. - Our complete focus on the economy, fiscal discipline, a balanced budget and the need for long overdue human and physical infrastructure improvements help round out economic gains. - Our budget deficit so far is significantly lower than the ceiling. We are on track in achieving our target of balancing the budget by 2008, two years ahead of the target 2010. - Our efforts are paying off---- gleaned in the strong peso, low inflation, a robust stock market, more foreign investments and 6 million new jobs. Poverty is at its lowest rate; also unemployment rate is at its lowest. - We have demonstrated that we have the ability to keep our budget under control; we have lowered our deficit and raised unprecedented amounts of revenue. - Faced with challenges in revenue collections during the first half of the year, but we are on track by the second half as shown in the July-September revenue collection. - Steps to address the revenue shortfall---appointment of new BIR Chief, more aggressive campaign against tax evaders and pursuance of corruption cases. - We do not want to go back to unbridled deficit spending. - Our commitment to economic reform has proven effective. - There is no need for new taxes. We have plenty of room to increase revenues by enhancing tax administration. |
| El Shaddai, Iglesia back PGMA's pardon of 'Erap' |
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Two of the country’s biggest religious groups
have joined the voices of support for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s
decision to grant executive clemency to former President Joseph Estrada. In a letter dated Oct. 26, 2007, El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde and Iglesia ni Kristo Spokesman Bro. Bienvenido Santiago said “the pardon will significantly help in promoting national unity and political stability that our country and people badly need to improve our economic and security conditions.” “We hope and pray that our national leaders will take your action as a positive step toward national healing and reconciliation and join hands to move our country forward,” they added. The two religious groups are the latest among those who have expressed approval for Estrada’s pardon. Former President Corazon Aquino was among the first to laud President Arroyo’s decision. She was followed by Vice President Noli de Castro, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and several other clergies, Senate President Manuel Villar, House Speaker Jose de Venecia, and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry among several other business groups. Despite the groundswell of support however, Press Secretary and Acting Executive Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye called on Filipinos to stop arguing on the merits of the pardon and instead focus on looking forward and achieving national unity. “Let us put this black chapter in our country’s history behind us and concentrate on what’s really important,” he said. “We must now write a new chapter about a New Philippines that is focused on political stability and economic opportunity.” |
| PGMA assures no new taxes shall be enforced as she underscores the need to enhance tax administration |
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DUMAGUETE CITY---Stressing that the country’s
economic strength is largely attributed to the various financial and
economic reforms, including the Expanded Value Added Tax (EVAT), President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today there is no need to implement new tax
measures but rather enhance tax administration so as to generate more
revenues for socio-economic projects. Speaking at the first international conference here of over 500 government executives, the country’s donor funding institutions, governors, assessors, treasurers, finance experts, IT experts and computer programmers on “iTAX – a Milestone for Local Government Finance”, the President also noted that the Integrated Taxation System has contributed much to the surge in government’s revenue collection. “There is no need for new taxes. We have plenty of room to increase revenues by enhancing tax administration,” the President said in her message at the International Conference on the Integrated Taxation System (iTAX) held this afternoon at the Negros Oriental Convention Center here. The President noted that the EVAT (Law) was the “single biggest act that led to the surge in our economy.” “In one bold stroke it raised enormous amounts of new revenue. That act also sent an unmistakable signal that we are serious about moving the nation forward,” she said. But the President stressed that her focus on improving the economy, fiscal discipline, a balanced budget and investments in human and physical infrastructure all contributed to the improving economy. The President also said that because of the painful tax measures she initiated, revenue collection increased, thus the government would be on track on its target of balancing the budget by 2008 or two years ahead of the earlier target date of 2010. “Our budget deficit so far is significantly lower than the ceiling,” the President said adding that: “We are on track to achieve our target.” “We have demonstrated that we have the ability to keep our budget under control; we have lowered our deficit and raised unprecedented amounts of revenue,” she said. The President recalled that although the government was short of its revenue collection target during the first half of the year, she expressed optimism for “collections to get back on track” in the second half of the year. She said the appointment of new Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Lilian Hefti and the more aggressive campaign against tax evasion and corruption have been paying off as shown in the July to September revenue collections already exceeding targets. “We do not want to and will not go back to the days of unbridled deficit spending,” the President stressed. |
| New technology to bolster realty tax collections of local governments |
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DUMAGUETE CITY----President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
addressed today a conference that would help the local government units to
tap its high amount of taxation power and raise more revenues for
development projects. The President was the guest of honor and keynote speaker of the two-day International Conference on Integrated Taxation System with the theme: "iTAX ---a Milestone for Local Government Finance" being held at the Negros Oriental Convention Center here. Around 500 government executives and participants from donor funding institutions, provincial governors, assessors, treasurers and finance experts, IT experts and computer programmers gathered in Dumaguete City to discuss means to enhance the local governments' tax collection through the use of a software “integrated taxation system." The iTAX project is funded by the German government through the GTZ-RP-German Cooperative Fiscal Decentralization Project with the province of Negors Oriental as the pilot project area. The organizers noted that "There is a high amount of taxation power in the local government which is still untapped. Substantial revenue coming from local taxes like real property tax, business tax, special education fund, among others, have yet to be fully realized." Case in point in the conference is the poor realty tax collection of local government units (LGUs) where only about 50 percent is realized. The Negros version of iTax is now a modern computer-based tax assessment and collection tool for LGUs. It answers the specific needs of the municipal assessors and treasurers and involves all functions like payment and collection, assessment and tax mapping. The system is jointly owned by the Philippine and German governments. |
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PGMA's Speech at the International Conference on
Integrated Taxation System (iTAX) Negros Oriental Convention Center, Dumaguete City October 29, 2007 |
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Ipa-abot nato tanan ang pag-abi sa mga opisyal
sa Oriental Negros! Kining Integrated Taxation System usa ka dako nga kontribusyon sa atong padayon na paningkamot nga motaas ang atong koleksyon sa nasod ug sa probinsiya. Our economic strength is largely attributed to the various financial reforms, including strong revenue measures. The single biggest act that led to the surge in our economy was the passage of our value added tax, salamat sa atong mga congressmen sa niaging Congress, kauban si Dodong Macias ug Tio Miniong Teves. In one bold stroke it raised enormous amounts of new revenue. That act also sent an unmistakable signal that we are serious about moving the nation forward. That isn’t all, though. Our complete focus on the economy, fiscal discipline, a balanced budget and the need for long overdue human and physical infrastructure improvements help round out our economic gains. Our efforts are paying off in a strong peso, low inflation, a robust stock market, rapid inflows of foreign investment and over 6 million new jobs created in the last six years. Our unemployment rate is the lowest in a generation. So is our poverty rate. We have confidence sa anak sa Oriental Negros, Secretary Gary Teves that we will be able to meet our targets this year. We are committed to our budget balancing milestone and we will meet it. Our budget deficit so far is significantly lower than the ceiling. We are on track to achieve our target. We have demonstrated that we have the ability to keep our budget under control; we have lowered our deficit and raised unprecedented amounts of revenue. While we faced some challenges in generating revenues from the BIR and the BOC earlier this year, we took major steps to address the early revenue shortfalls. These steps included such things as the appointment of our new BIR Commissioner Lilian Hefti, and more aggressive pursuit of tax evasion and corruption cases that will yield additional revenues. We are committed to increasing tax revenues through a range of administrative and legal actions. These efforts are already paying off with July to September revenue collections exceeding our target for the period. We expect collections to get back on track in the second half of the year. For the first time in a generation, our budget is under control; we are lowering our deficit and raising unprecedented amounts of revenue. We do not want to and will not go back to the days of unbridled deficit spending. Our commitment to economic reform has proven effective. We are both comfortable and confident that our discipline will allow us to continue on a balanced path of targeted investment and overall restraint. We moved the target to balance the budget from 2010 to 2008. We will do this while investing in infrastructure sama sa RORO system ug social services sa PhilHealth. There is no need for new taxes. We have plenty of room to increase revenues by enhancing tax administration. Atong pag-abi-abi gihapon sa gobyerno sa Oriental Negros ug ang iyang mga dakbayan ug lunsod, sa ilang liderato ni-ining proyekto. Ang tinuod nga progreso nagikan sa mga probinisya. Gamiton nato kining iTAX system aron modaghan ang benepisyo sa katawhan gikan sa mga reporma sa ekonomiya. |
