PIA Dispatch - Sunday, November 9, 2008

Thai Premier arriving tomorrow; meeting with PGMA set in Malacanang

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and newly-elected Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat are expected to discuss ways on further strengthening bilateral relations between the Philippines and Thailand when both leaders meet in Malacanang on Monday afternoon.

PM Somchai is scheduled to arrive in Manila Monday afternoon for a very brief visit -- seven hours only, as he will arrive at 3 p.m. and will leave at 10 p.m.

It is also expected that the two ASEAN leaders will discuss the current financial crisis and its impact on the region during the bilateral meeting that will be held in Malacanang before the gala dinner the President will tender in honor of the visiting Thai PM.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that the Thai prime minister is coming to Manila “to introduce himself to the President.”

Somchai, a brother-in-law of Thaksin, was nominated by Thailand’s governing party, the People Power Party, to be the next prime minister last September after a court forced his predecessor, Samak Sanaravej, to step down.

The Public Relations Department of Thailand said that Prime Minister Somchai has planned to officially visit the Philippines “in response to the invitation sent by the Philippines’s President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in order to tighten up relations between both countries.”

“The PM would also emphasize on the celebration of the 60th anniversary of relationship between Thailand and the Philippines, while discussing over issues including cooperation and improvement in trading, investment, Thailand-Philippines Tourist Package, energy, military, and to personally invite Mrs. Arroyo to participate in the 14th ASEAN Summit this December,” it further said.

“Furthermore, Mr. Somchai will also converse with Mrs. Arroyo about the international financial crisis and show appreciation toward the Philippines for hosting the High Level Working Group on Global Financial Crisis Summit which will be held on 15-16 November,” it added.

Formal diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Thailand were established with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship in Washington, DC on June 14, 1949.


Since then, both countries have enjoyed very cordial relations and cooperation between them has been wide-ranging. Various bilateral agreements have been concluded, ranging from economic cooperation to extradition to tourism cooperation.

Moreover, Thailand and the Philippines share a distinct partnership as two of the five founding members of ASEAN when it was created in August 1967.

Both countries are likewise considered key movers in other regional fora such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC). The Philippines was among the pioneering countries in the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) initiative in Thailand. In multilateral fora, the two countries similarly advocate such issues as human rights, civil empowerment, combating transnational crime, and sustainable development.

In 2005, Thailand ranked as the Philippines' tenth largest trading partner, while the Philippines was Thailand's 14th largest. The latest official figures showed that total bilateral trade between the Philippines and Thailand amounted to US$ 2.24 billion in 2005. This represented a decrease of more than six percent from the same period in 2004. Bilateral trade favored Thailand by US$ 353.81 million.

The Philippines sold US$ 941.17 million, or 2.79 percent of its total exports, to Thailand, but this represented a decrease of just below 12 percent from the year before. Philippine exports to Thailand consisted mostly of machineries and transport equipment and parts, electronics, various resource-based commodities, tobacco, processed foods and special transactions. There were marked increases in exports of certain commodities, including greeting cards and stationary, dried vegetables, natural rubber, canned tuna, women's and girls' wear, and petroleum products.

On the other hand, the Philippines imported from Thailand more than US$ 1.30 billion worth of goods or almost 3.5 percent of the country’s total imports. Still, this registered a decrease of over two percent from the same period in 2004. Philippine imports from Thailand were mostly machineries and transport equipment and parts, electronics, various resource-based commodities, processed foods, special transactions, and chemicals (particularly petrochemicals). There were significant increases in imports of several items, particularly fresh nuts and fresh coconut products, processed coffee, fresh/chilled/frozen tuna, stone furniture, sauces/condiments/spices/mixes and manufactures, and precious jewelry.

In terms of investments, preliminary projections by the Bank of Thailand showed that the net flow of foreign direct investments (FDI) from the Philippines into Thailand amounted to US$ 183.05 million in 2004.

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) remained the biggest Philippine investor in Thailand. In 2003, the food and beverage giant signed a multi-million dollar agreement with Amata Corporation to put up a 100-hectare production plant for beverage products in the eastern Thai province of Rayong. The plant broke ground in March 2004 .


Mindanao peace talks will resume, Malacanang assures stakeholders

Malacañang assured today that the stalled peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would resume immediately once the results of an "authentic dialogue" between the "stakeholders" of peace provide the government with necessary guidelines to carve out the fundamental steps towards achieving the cherished dream that has eluded Filipinos for decades.

In an interview this afternoon over Radyo ng Bayan, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza stressed that the government remains firmly committed to bringing about a lasting peace in Mindanao.

"The timeline for the resumption of peace talks is as soon as possible because the government's efforts to come up with a peace pact with the MILF is high priority in the policy listing of the President," Dureza said.

At the same time, he branded as unnecessary the call of a Muslim group for Pope Benedict XVI to convince the government to resume the peace talks.

In a letter, the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy (PCID) led by its lead convenor Amina Rasul Bernardo asked the Pope to help convince the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to resume the collapsed Mindanao peace process.

"Salamat at may mga ganoong inisyatiba mula sa private sector pero hindi kailangang pumunta sa Santo Papa dahil talagang sadya ng ating Pangulo at ng ating pamahalaan na isulong natin yung usapang pangkapayapaan sa mga rebeldeng grupo," Dureza said.

"Sa ngayon, ang ating negosasyon with the MILF ay dumadaan muna sa konsultasyon at dayalogo sa mga secktor ng lipunan, especially sa Mindanao, at pag natapos ang konsultasyon na ‘to, malalaman natin kung ano ang hinaing at gusto ng taong-bayan pagkatapos nitong ginagawang wide-ranging authentic consultation," he added.

The Supreme Court voted to scrap the proposed Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) last Aug. 4.

Before this, the Arroyo administration had announced a shift in its basic peace-negotiating premise from dialogues with rebels to dialogues with affected communities; demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR).

Prior to the paradigm shift in the government’s negotiating policy, ragtag bands of MILF extremists launched a series of attacks on civilian populations in Mindanao.

"Mukhang hindi sumusunod sa kanilang mga lider o liderato ng MILF, kaya sa gitna ng effort ng ating gobyerno na magkaroon ng peace… talagang may ginawa silang mga aksyon na laban sa mga komunidad natin," Dureza said, referring to the renegade MILF commanders.


Palace to respect ERC decision on power rates

Malacañang today said it would respect the decision of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on the petition of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to increase its power rates as long as the decision undergoes the proper process.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said in a radio interview this afternoon that the government is giving the ERC leeway on the matter because under the law the latter has the sole discretion to decide on the petitioner's petition.

"Ang ERC ay binigyan ng poder ng ating gobyerno at ng ating batas na siyang magde-determine ng increases at kung may reduction man, at ito ay base sa mga data o ebidensiya na ibibigay o isasampa doon sa ERC," Dureza said.

The ERC earlier ruled in favor of Meralco's petition to increase rates by as much as 36 percent but deferred the implementation of its ruling in the face of the strong protest mounted by the National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms (Nasecore) and individual consumers against the power rate increase.

But Dureza stressed that "kung mayroon na silang (ERC) desisyon based on evidence, at may resolution na, rerespetuhin natin, whether it is reduction or whether it is an increase," Malacanang will respect the decision.

He pointed out, however, that with the downtrend in the cost of fuel in the world markets, people expect this would also be reflected in the power rate charges.

"Kailangan dito sa power hike ay bigyan natin ng relief ang ating mamamayan dahil may downtrend ang cost of fuel from abroad… global prices have gone down so kailangan din, para maibsan ng konti ang mga problema at bigat, especially sa mga maliliit," Dureza said.


PGMA to inspect newly-restored irrigation facilities in Pangasinan

MALASIQUI, Pangasinan -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will visit Pangasinan tomorrow (Monday) to inspect the newly-restored irrigation facilities in Malasiqui farms served by the Agno River Integrated Irrigation Project (ARIIP).

Upon her arrival in Barangay Calbueg in Malasiqui town, the President will observe the transplanting of rice seedlings on the restored farm lots for the second cropping season.

Expected to welcome the President when she arrives here are Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino, Malasiqui Mayor Armando Domantay, National Irrigation Authority (NIA) Administrator Carlos Salazar, and National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Jessup Navarro.

She will be briefed by NIA Administrator Carlos Salazar on the ARIIP project, particularly the ongoing construction and rehabilitation of irrigation canals in the towns of Mapandan, Sta. Barbara, Malasiqui, Calasiao, Mangaldan, Manaoag, Laoac, Binalonan, Villasis, Asingan, San Manuel and Urdaneta City.

One of the top priority programs of the national government, ARIIP is designed to provide year-round irrigation to some 34,450 hectares of farmlands and benefit 28,207 farming families.

The major component of the ARIIP project includes the construction of a new diversion dam as a re-regulation pond for the release of water from the San Roque Dam, and the rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage facilities of the Agno River Irrigation System (ARIS) and the Ambayoan-Dipalo River Irrigation System (ADRIS).

Of the 11 towns and one city covered by the ARIIP program, the restoration of the irrigation and drainage facilities has already been completed in the municipalities of Malasiqui, Sta. Barbara, Calasiao and Mapandan at the cost of P80 million.

To date, some 4,000 hectares of farmlands in the towns of Malasiqui, Sta. Barbara, Calasiao and Mapandan are already irrigated. Farmer beneficiaries, numbering about 4,000, are now preparing for the second rice cropping.

During the program, the President will award financial assistance, fertilizer discount coupons, rice production loan checks, certificates of ownership of flat-bed dryers, certificates to operate Tindahan Natin outlets, and 447 sacks of certified palay seeds.


PGMA visits Masbate tomorrow to comfort survivors, condole with victims of ferry tragedy

MASBATE – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will arrive here tomorrow (Monday) to personally comfort the survivors and families of the 42 people who perished when the M/B Don Dexter capsized last Nov. 4 off the coast of Dimasalang here.

Local government officials lead by Gov. Elisa Kho and Third district Congresswoman Rizalina Seachon-Lanete will welcome the President who is set to arrive at 10 a.m. at the Palanas Central Elementary School in Palanas, some 20 kilometers from Dimasalang town.

Other officials on site upon the arrival of the President include Palanas Mayor Silvestre Alvarez, Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) commander Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, Philippine National Police (PNP) provincial chief Supt. Paterno Bangui and school principal Julie Abela.

From the Palanas Central Elementary School, the President will motor to the Abejuella residence in Palanas Poblacion where the wake is being held for Teresita Abejuella and her five-year-old son John Paul.

The President will also hold an informal interaction with the survivors of the sea mishap as well as members of the bereaved families. Out of the 105 survivors, 43 came from Palanas.

A sudden gust of wind (locally known as ‘subasko’) caused the Don Dexter, a 20-footer motorized banca bound for Bulan, Sorsogon, to overturn almost one hour after it left Dimasalang town in clear weather at 2 p.m.

Local social and welfare officials said 10 people are still missing in the worst sea accident since the sinking of the Sulpicio Lines’ owned and operated-M/V Princess of the Stars off Romblon province at the height of a typhoon, killing over 700 people.

Local government officials and Gene Zuniega, owner of the ill-fated inter-island ferry boat, have already extended P20,000 each to the families of the 42 casualties.

The survivors also received financial assistance, aside from food and clothing, bringing the total amount given to the victims to P1.68 million from the provincial government, Dimasalang municipal office, Zuniega and the local social and welfare office.

Other casualties include Michelle Ramirez, Richelyn Andaya, Dallaniel Andaya, Maricel Ornopia, Silvina Gabriel, Auria Basas, Rosalina Atabay, Rosalie Lumagpas, Criselda Atabay, Krissia Atabay, Joyjoy Atabay, In-In Neuva, Grace Capellan, Larganie, Lean Capellan, Nenita Matos, Charlene Gastardo, Jenny Banaag, Filipina Auman, Ana Nerbis, Consolacion Baybayon, Lanie Mahinay, Sonia Codera, Adelina Adobas, Reynaldo Arcueno, Jennifer Mantel, Nerie Almosura Badillo, Jessica Marsonia, Benita Hermosa, Olympio Blaso, Rosalina Pilapil, Marichu Apao, Parcy and Salud Abenir, Rosie Belarmino, Marilyn Lleneses, Christian Ramiso, Francisa Rondina, Grace Atazar and Lonie Mahinay.