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| 21 SEPTEMBER 2007 | ||
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| 21 SEPTEMBER 2007 | ||
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PGMA's Speech during the 13th National Crime Prevention Week Celebration and Awarding Ceremonies for Best Peace and Order Council, Rizal Hall, Malacañang, 21 September 2007 |
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Thank you. Thank you, Secretary Puno. Ambassador Donald Dee and the leaders of the private sector; Commissioner Leones; General Calderon and the officers and men and women of our police force; our awardees; local government officials; representatives of the five pillars of the justice system; ladies and gentlemen. Salamat sa inyong pagdalo rito sa ating pagdiriwang ng pag-pipigil ng krimen. Kayong mga narito ay kumakatawan sa mga napakahalagang bahagi ng ating sistema ng pambansang seguridad na siyang nagpapatupad ng batas at nagpapairal ng kapayapaan at katahimikan. Dahil sa inyong pagsisikap, mas matiwasay, mapayapa at panatag ang ating mga lansangan, pamayanan at sambayanan. Nakatutok ang ating pagsisikap sa pagsugpo sa krimen at pagsugpo sa kahirapan. Hindi natin nawawalan ng tutok sa ating trabaho. That’s why the state of our economy as we celebrate Crime Prevention Week brings hope and excitement -- our growth is the highest in a generation, revenue is now on track and job creation is strong. Our deficit is down, consumer confidence is up and inflation is holding steady. The 7.5 percent GDP increase in the second quarter and the 10 percent gain in capital investment are in line with what the ADB says the country needs in order to replicate the poverty-eradicating growth of Asia’s economic success stories. The foundation of our economic comeback is wide, deep and solid across the board, in all the areas represented by our winners here. The nation’s economy is pointed in the right direction and for all the right reasons. The elements of these broad-based success are built on many things and with the help of many people, institutions and economic contributors. Notable among these is the community of the five pillars of criminal justice. Emerging regional and global imperatives involving trade, security, the environment, and information technology place a high premium on the rule of law. When political stability reinforces economic gains, we gain a quantum advantage in competitiveness. That is why we must stop political noise and sustain the momentum of our efforts. This government has stayed focused on what Filipinos yearn for most: a good job, steady prices, and a healthy family. We’re tired of political drama and social instability. We’re entering an era where the vast majority can have a predictable future, a steady job and a calm political climate. Our economy has created six million jobs in six years, helped raise wages, lower the rate of poverty, invest in education and healthcare and invest heavily in roads, bridges and vital services. This is what the people of the nation deserve, and that is what our government is working for every single day. The world is taking notice, from the lofty heights of the prestigious Wall Street Journal, to the billion dollar investments of Texas instruments and leading Asian firms like Hanjin, Marubeni, Tokyo Electric, and others. The Philippines is on the move. And lest we get carried away with our success, we must be humbled by what remains to be done. And while we must never take a step back in our development, we must always reach back and lift up those who have yet to live outside poverty. Our campaign to stamp out criminality is tied up with the war against poverty. Crime prevention policies therefore have been incorporated in national economic development plans. Under our administration, reinventing the bureaucracy and achieving the millennium development goals of the U.N. have become living priorities aimed at a more equitable distribution of the fruits of development, bridging rural-urban disparities and increasing people’s participation in all aspects of governance. May we continue to lend our respective, valuable experiences and expertise for a safer Philippines, lalung-lalo na yung mga nagwagi ng premyo. Kaya kayo pinapatindig sa entablado para matuto lahat ng iba kung papaano dalhin ang pangmatagalang kapayapaan sa ating mga pamayanan. Once more congratulations to our winners! Maraming salamat at mabuhay tayong lahat! |
| PGMA underscores need for end to political noise to sustain momentum of economic gains |
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Saying that political stability reinforces
economic gains, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo underscored today the need
for closure to all political noise to sustain the momentum of the country’s
economic comeback. In her speech during the 13th National Crime Prevention Week celebration and Awarding Ceremonies for Best Peace and Order Councils (POCs) in Malacanang this morning, the President stressed that Filipinos are “tired of political drama and social instability.” “When political stability reinforces economic gains, we gain a quantum advantage in competitiveness in the long run. That is why we must stop all the political noise and sustain the momentum of our efforts,” she said. The President paid tribute to the vital role of the “community of crime preventors,” including the POCs, for the resurgence of the economy. “The foundation of our economic comeback is wide, deep and solid. Across the board, the nation’s economy is pointed in the right direction, and for all the right reasons. The elements of this broad-based success are built on many things and with the help of many people-institutions-and-economic contributors. Notable among these is the community of crime preventors,” she said. The President said the world is taking notice of the country’s economic gains from the “lofty heights of the prestigious Wall Street Journal, to the billion dollar investments of Texas Instruments and leading Asian firms like Hanjin, Marubeni, Tokyo Electric, and others. The Philippines is on the move.” She pointed out that in six years, six million jobs have been created, wages have increased, the poverty level has dipped and investments in education, health, public works and other vital services have been increased dramatically. The Chief Executive pointed out that her administration remains tightly focused on what the Filipinos “yearn most: a good job, steady prices, and a healthy family.” The people are “tired of political drama and social instability. We are entering a new era where the vast majority can have a predictable future, a steady job and a calm political climate,” she said. The “emerging regional and global imperatives involving trade, security, the environment, and information technology place a high premium on the rule of law,” she added. “Our campaign to stamp out criminality is inextricably tied up with the war against poverty. Thus, crime prevention policies have been incorporated in national economic development plans,” she said. On economic development, President Arroyo stressed that “under our administration, reinventing the bureaucracy and achieving the Millennium Development Goals have become living priorities aimed at a more equitable distribution of the fruits of development, bridging rural-urban disparities and increasing people’s participation in all aspects of governance.” With Makati City winning the Hall of Fame Award, the winners in the seven categories of the Best POC Awards were: Region 11 POC, Most Outstanding Regional Peace and Order Council; Southern Leyte (Region 8), Most Outstanding Provincial POC (1st-3rd-Class Category); Guimaras (Region 6), Most Outstanding Provincial POC (4th-6th-Class Category); Makati City (National Capital Region), Most Outstanding City POC (Highly Urbanized City Category); Escalante City (Region 6), Most Outstanding City POC (Component City Category); La Trinidad, Benguet (Cordillera Administrative Region), Most Outstanding Municipal POC (1st-3rd-Class Category); and Malitbog, Bukidnon (Region 10), Most Outstanding Municipal POC (4th-6th-Class Category). Aside from the local government officials and the POC chair of the winning LGUs, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar Calderon and the PNP’s regional and other officials also attended the ceremonies. |
| Brazilian envoy completes RP tour of duty |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo bid farewell
today to Brazilian Ambassador Carlos Eduardo Sette Camara da Fonseca Costa
who has just completed his tour of duty in the Philippines. Calling on the President at Malacanang’s Music Room this morning, Ambassador Costa expressed his thanks and appreciation to her, saying: “You are an extremely professional President, I admire you.” The President also thanked Ambassador Costa who informed her that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had just led a “successful mission to Brazil.” Also present during the Brazilian envoy’s farewell call on President Arroyo were ambassadors from three other Latin countries -- Ambassador Jorge Montero Figueroa of Chile, Ambassador Juan Felipe Pitty of Panama, and Ambassador Mario Schuff of Argentina. Also around was Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan of Pakistan. |
| Fewer hungry folks this time, says PGMA |
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Hunger incidence in the country dropped
considerably in the second quarter to 14.7 percent from the 19 percent
recorded in the first quarter of this year. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced the good news during the barangay interaction and school feeding she attended this afternoon at the Project 6 Elementary School in Barangay Project 6, Quezon City. The President said the government's hunger mitigation measures such as the provision of Tindahan Natin outlets, Barangay Food Terminals (BFTs) and the Food-for-School Program (FSP) greatly contributed to the decrease in hunger incidence rate. "Sa pamamagitan nito bumaba ang hunger incidence rate sa 14.7 percent ngayong second quarter mula sa dating 19 percent noong first quarter," she said. Supporting the government's hunger and poverty mitigation measures, the President said, is the strong peso that has absorbed the impact of the current high prices of oil in the world market. The President said the government has allocated P2.75 billion for the school feeding program this year. The amount would be increased to almost P3.3 billion in 2008. At the same time, the President said the government has allocated P181 million for the hunger mitigation measures that resulted in the establishment of 6,583 Tindahan Natin outlets in the most depressed areas in 52 provinces nationwide. She said 200 more Tindahan Natin outlets would be established in Metro Manila before the year ends. Among those who welcomed the President were school and local officials led by Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, First District Representative Vincent Crisologo, and the chairpersons of Barangays Project 6, Bagong Pag-asa, Nayong Kanluran, VASRA, Phil-Am, and West Triangle. Accompanying the President were Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando. Yap told the President that 20 BFTs are now operational in Quezon City, Manila, Taguig, Pasay, Caloocan, Navotas and Bulacan that provide direct link lo w-priced farm products such as meat and vegetables to small wet markets in urban areas. Yap said more than two million individuals or some 400,000 families in Metro Manila and the poorest provinces would directly benefit from the BFTs the total number of which would be increased to 60 this year. Yap also assured that there is enough supply of low-priced rice from the National Food Authority (NFA). During the barangay visit, the President led the distribution of certificates to operate five Tindahan Natin outlets, 125 scholarship vouchers from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), PhilHealth cards, and certificates to operate BFTs in Barangays Project 6 and Bagong Pag-asa. The President also witnessed the school feeding program and led the distribution of one kilo of iron-fortified rice each for Grades 1 to 6 pupils. The school feeding program is a component of the Accelerated Hunger Mitigation Program of the government to address malnutrition and at the same time assure families of rice on their table as long as the children go to school. The Food for School Program is an interagency activity of the NFA, National Nutrition Council (NNC), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Department of Education as the implementing agency. |
