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| 31 OCTOBER 2007 | ||
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| 31 OCTOBER 2007 | ||
| Farmers laud increase in gov't support price for palay |
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Farmers from Pangasinan and Cagayan have
expressed their gratitude to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the
increase in government support price for palay, saying it is timely and
would be a great help to them. The farmers, all members of the Provincial Farmers Action Council (PFAC), in return, vowed to help and cooperate in the attainment of the President’s Food Security Program aimed at ensuring that no Filipino would ever go hungry again. The Eastern Pangasinan sector of the PFAC headed by Rodolfo Villanueva even passed a resolution last Oct. 16 thanking President Arroyo for increasing the government support price for palay from P10 to P11 per kilo effective last Oct. 15. “In return we pledge our utmost cooperation in the attainment of the Food Security Program of the government especially rice which is the main staple of the populace,” the resolution said. The PFAC Cagayan chapter led by Daniel Narag, on the other hand, sent a letter of thanks to the President, saying they are deeply touched by her gesture of concern. “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making us important and for feeling our sentiments during these hard times,” the letter said. The Cagayan farmers also cited the Department of Agriculture, which through the President’s blessings “has a lot more other programs and projects, all intended for us, all meant to uplift and ennoble our plight.” |
| Statement of the President on All Saints' Day |
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I join all Filipino families in observing our
national tradition of remembering and honoring those who have passed away. During this day of remembrance and prayer, let us set aside a few minutes to pray as a family and light a candle for peace and unity to reign in our country. Political discord stands in the way of our progress as a nation. It is the time for us to heal the wounds from our troubled past and join hands in confronting the myriad challenges of the future. |
| Statement of the President: On Barangay and SK polls |
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The successful outcome of our Barangay and
Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections underscores the people’s firm commitment
to democracy and strong political institutions. That message should not be ignored by groups who are out to destroy the gains of a strong economy through extra-constitutional means. The Constitution clearly sets our next elections in 2010. Let us not be distracted by the impatient few who believe that they are above the rule of law, and thus entitled to undermine the sacrifices and hard work of our people. |
| PGMA hikes cash allowances of public school teachers for purchase of classroom supplies |
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In an effort to lessen the burden of public
school teachers in the performance of their duties, President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo has authorized the increase in their cash allowances for
the purchase of chalks, erasers, forms, and other classroom supplies and
materials from P300 to P500 each per annum. Under Administrative Order No. 204 which she signed last Oct. 19, the President ordered the Department of Budget and Management to charge the funding support necessary to implement the order against the available savings of the national government. The AO takes effect immediately. The President cited in the AO that it is the enunciated policy of the state to provide quality basic education in public schools and support the needs of teachers by providing the environment for them to effectively undertake their functions in the classroom. She also noted that teachers play an important role in molding their students to become model citizens of the country. “I hereby order an increase in said cash allowance to lessen the teachers’ burden during actual teaching and enable them to better stir classroom interaction,” she stated in the AO. |
| PGMA inaugurates new call center in Cubao |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo opened today
the country’s newest new state-of-the-art business process outsourcing (BPO)
facility, moving the Philippines a step closer to the government’s goal of
capturing 50 percent of the world’s English-speaking BPO market next year.
The new call center at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City is the sixth BPO facility owned by Advanced Contact Solutions, Inc. (ACS). The government is targeting the growth of call centers to hit one million by 2010. The latest count placed the number of call centers and BPO facilities in the country at about 300,000, employing thousands of Filipinos. The President has singled out the BPO industry’s contribution to the government’s efforts to move the economy forward. “One of the brightest spots in our economy is the development of call centers and outsourcing because it uses our greatest resource in the Philippines -- our people. Our people are our greatest resource whether they are our one million workers in Saudi Arabia or our 100,000 workers in our Business Process Outsourcing industry,” she said. ACS, a subsidiary of Paxys Inc., a company incorporated in the Philippines, is a pioneer and leader in call centers and BPOs in the country. Starting its operation in 1996 by providing superior experience to its clients, ACS is the first and only publicly listed call center in the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE). Its six state-of-the art sites---three in Makati City, one in Laguna and one in Lipa City, Batangas and now at Araneta Center, have 7,000 seats and almost 7,000 employees. ACS serves top United States Fortune 500 companies, as well as top-tiered companies in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. The Philippines is now the second most favored site for call centers and BPOs in the region after India. In 2004, the Philippines captured 20 percent of the total world market share in contact center services. Aside from contributing 12 percent to the country’s gross national product (GNP), the ICT industry is also the fastest growing provider of jobs for Filipino college graduates. The ICT division of the Board of Investments has reported that in 2005 the call center industry growth rate jumped by 70 percent, making it the most dynamic sector of the country’s information technology industry. Based on industry forecasts, the call center industry will employ more than a million Filipinos by 2010, and by 2012, the ICT sector will generate revenues of more than $12 billion. |
| President joins the nation in All Saint's Day celebration |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo joins the
nation in the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day beginning
tomorrow by urging the Filipino people to take the opportunity to pray for
their departed loved ones and work together for the peace and unity of the
country. “I join all Filipino families in observing our national tradition of remembering and honoring those who have passed away,” the President said in a statement she issued on the eve of the celebration. In the statement, the President also asked all Filipinos to “set aside a few minutes to pray as a family and light a candle for peace and unity to reign in the country.” She lamented that because of the country’s bad system of politics, “our progress is always hampered and stalled.” “Political discord stands in the way of our progress as a nation. It is the time for us to heal the wounds from our troubled past and join hands in confronting the myriad challenges of the future,” she added. As part of their family tradition, the President is scheduled to visit the tombs of her father, former President Diosdado Macapagal, and her mother Dona Eva, tomorrow at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City. |
| PGMA declares Nov. 12-17 as Nat'l Neurology Week |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared
the period from Nov.12-17, 2007 as National Neurology Week to heighten
awareness and understanding of the various neurological illnesses. Under Proclamation No. 1408 which she signed Oct. 30, the President cited the need to improve the information drive on neurological illnesses and the accessible care that can help those afflicted. “It is proper to commemorate a National Neurology Week that will benefit the numerous patients nationwide from the simultaneous outreach activities to be done in identified communities in the country , such as provision of neurological services, conduct of scientific activities and other advocacy programs,” she stated in the proclamation. The President cited the role of the Philippine Neurological Association (PNA) as the lead organization in dealing with the diseases of the nervous system, and in pursuit in the delivery of neurological care, education and research for the promotion of health and well being of the Filipinos. To ensure the success of the commemoration, the President urged the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), non-government sectors and the PNA to join hands in the implementation of nationwide activities Neurological illnesses are disorders that affect the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), the peripheral nervous system (peripheral nerves ---cranial nerves included), or the autonomic nervous system. |
| Strong peso helps mitigate steep oil prices in world market -- Remonde |
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Malacanang said today that while the growing
strength of the peso has its downside, the overall economic scenario would
have been a lot bleaker had the exchange rate stayed at P50-$1 at this time
of surging oil prices in the world market. Presidential Management Staff Director-General Secretary Cerge Remonde said the strong peso can be “better appreciated” this time considering the country’s almost total dependence on imported oil. “The scenario would have been decidedly bleak had the value of our currency stayed at P50 levels,” Remonde said. The downside to the continuing strength of the peso is felt especially by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), who are taking a bite off their income, and businessmen, who must pay higher prices for imported raw materials. On the bright side, the strong peso has somehow offset the impact of costlier crude in the world market, Remonde said. The peso closed yesterday at P43.85 against the greenback while crude oil price hit $93 per barrel in New York, and $84.52/barel for Dubai crude last Monday. The Philippines produces only 10 percent of local fuel demand which last year stood at 101 million barrels. Net oil imports for 2006 stood at 100.8 million barrels, for a net oil import bill worth $6.8 billion. The government has admitted it could do nothing to bring down oil prices since the industry is deregulated. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has embarked on a program to lessen the country’s dependence on imported crude and eventually make it energy independent through the development of renewable and alternative sources. These alternative energy sources include geothermal and sun and wind power. |
| PGMA twits critics on successful holding of synchronizec Barangay/SK polls |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sent today a
strong message to her critics by saying that democracy is alive and
political institutions are strong, and that the successful conduct of
Monday’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls is one concrete proof. “The successful outcome of our Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections underscores the people’s firm commitment to democracy and strong political institutions,” the President said in a statement. “That message should not be ignored by groups who are out to destroy the gains of a strong economy through extra-constitutional means,” she added. She called on the people “not to be distracted” by the political noise created by only a few “impatient” people who are out to “undermine the sacrifices and hard work of our people.” Monday’s synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls gave the people another chance to exercise their right to vote and to choose the leaders of their choice, the President said. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said about 60 percent of the registered voters of 51,376,318 trooped to 238,486 polling precincts set up nationwide to elect 671,120 barangay and SK officials in 41,945 barangays around the country. |
