PIA Dispatch - Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Hundreds of Fil-Ams brave Chicago's chilly weather to meet GMA

CHICAGO (via PLDT)--Chilly winds and showers failed to stop hundreds of Filipino-Americans in Chicago from showing up at Hyatt O'Hare Hotel to meet with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who made a stopover here before proceeding to New York.

Over 500 Fil-Ams, representing various professional organizations in Chicago, warmed the dinner reception for the President amid zero-to-negative degree weather in the US Midwest’s largest city.

The President, accompanied by a lean delegation, was welcomed at the hotel by Consul-General Orontes Ramos of the Philippine Consulate in Chicago, along with the heads of leading Fil-Am community organizations in the Midwest.

There are around 32,266 Filipinos in Chicago, most of them successful professionals who have been in the US for many years. Many of them have earned recognition for their role in shaping Chicago's ethnic community.

In her speech, President Arroyo told the Fil-Am crowd that the Philippines is standing on solid economic ground amid the current global financial turbulence severely affecting the US and other countries.

“While no one can predict the full impact of the current global financial crisis on the Philippines, our economy is stronger than it has been in generations. Because tough choices were made, we have built a firewall around our country that has slowed down and somewhat softened the worst effects of the global crisis,” she said.

The President also cited the government’s efforts to sustain the vibrancy of the Philippine business and investment climate while advancing pro-poor agenda and revenue generating measures to prop up fiscal independence.

“You must have heard of the VAT (Value Added Tax). Its result has been, on the one hand, more unpopularity for myself, but on the other, to save the day for our country,” she said.

“We are aware of the pressures your families back home face from inflation. We know they are as concerned as you are here about job security and the buying power of wages and remittances. We are concerned, too,” she said, adding that “we are working hard to keep down the prices of rice, food and fuel and to increase the number of jobs through investments.”

Alongside efforts to put forward pro-poor agenda, investment in education, healthcare and social services, the President also said the government is investing in modernizing infrastructure like roads and bridges on an unprecedented scale.

“The next time you go to the Philippines, you can travel by car from Appari to Sulu through our roll-on-roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry nautical highway system,” she said.


Esperon still enjoys trust and confidence of PGMA—Ermita

Malacañang today said Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon is still an effective peace negotiator for the government and that he still enjoys the confidence of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“The President has placed her confidence on Secretary Esperon as Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in his weekly press briefing in Malacañang today.

Ermita’s reaction came amid reports that National Democratic Front (NDF) chairman Luis Jalandoni and Sen. Jamby Madrigal, during their meeting yesterday in the Netherlands, had jointly asked for the immediate resumption of the peace talks between the government and the NDF. This, provided their several demands, among which is the replacement of Esperon, shall be granted.

“They are not in a position to place their demands on the government,” Ermita said.

Other NDF demands included the resolution of the issue on the “terrorist” listing of the CPP-NPA and the lifting of charges against NDF panelists, consultants and staffers.

“The subject matter on the JASIG (Joint Agreement on the Safety and Immunity Guarantees) is something very crucial for consideration for the resumption of talks,” Ermita added.

Formal peace negotiations between the government and the CPP-NDF-NPA were canceled by the government in August 2004 due to violations of the JASIG.

The communists had wanted the government to take strong steps to get the United States and the European Union to erase the name of CPP founder and current NDF consultant Jose Ma. Sison from their blacklists of terrorists.

They also wanted the Arroyo administration to have the NPA, the CPP’s armed wing, removed from the blacklist.


Palace won’t be distracted by opinion surveys -- Ermita

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said today Malacañang is firmly focused on carrying out its programs and projects to improve the lives of Filipinos and will not be distracted by opinion surveys.

Ermita, who is also presidential spokesman, was reacting to the Pulse Asia survey conducted last Oct. 14-27 showing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s public approval rating at 27 percent and public trust rating at 24 percent.

“Surveys are surveys. We just focus on undertaking specific programs and projects to improve the quality of life of our people,” he said.

Ermita said no amount of survey could divert the President’s attention from pressing issues such as the economy and ensuring that Filipinos have food on the table despite the dire prospects of a global recession next year.

The government has no time to waste on surveys, he added.

Ermita pointed out that no world leader, no matter how popular, was never criticized by his or her constituents at one time or another.

“I always say that leaders are not meant to be popular. They are meant to be leaders to undertake things that they think are good for the governed,” the Executive Secretary said.


Ermita prods Senate to pass House-approved P1.415 trillion nat’l budget to fight recession

Elated over the news that the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading last night the proposed P1.415-trillion 2009 national budget, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita urged today the Senate to keep its promise to pass the proposed capital outlay before Christmas.

“Senate President Villar said the Senate will pass the budget before Christmas which shows that our political leaders are conscious of the need to pass it because that will help us in pushing programs and projects that would safeguard us from the looming recession,” Ermita said

Malacañang has said that next year’s outlay was “shaped by food and fuel prices, as it erects ramparts to protect the people while at the same time building up their capabilities for growth and prosperity.”

In the 2009 proposed national budget, the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) agriculture and fisheries modernization program will get more than P14 billion, from P25.4 billion this year to P39.7 billion in 2007.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will get a 17.2 percent increase, from P102.4 billion to P120 billion; while the Department of Education’s (DepEd) budget will go up by P20 billion to P168 billion.

The other agencies with huge allocations include the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), P61.9 billion; Department of National Defense (DND), P61.5 billion; Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), P23.6 billion; Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), P16.1 billion; Department of Finance (DOF), P13.8 billion; and the judiciary, P12.8 billion.

The 2009 proposed budget is about 15 percent higher than the 2008 budget of P1.227-trillion.

The President has said that the proposed budget would address the world food and fuel crises and give appropriate funding to the government's priority programs -- environment, education and economy.


Gov’t doing everything possible to secure freedom of RP seamen hostaged by pirates

The Philippine government is doing its best to hasten the release of 89 Filipino seamen who were abducted by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden this year, Executive Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Eduardo Ermita said today.

In his weekly media briefing this afternoon in Malacanang, Ermita said the latest victims were 23 Filipino crewmembers of the chemical tanker, Stolt Strength, which was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden last Monday.

Since January, 161 Filipino seafarers have been taken hostage by Somali pirates.

Ermita said negotiations for the release of hostages are usually undertaken by the companies or shipowners who hired the Filipino seamen.

But he said that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is closely coordinating with the shipowners through the Philippine embassy in Nigeria for the freedom of the Filipino hostages.

The embassy in Nigeria in the Philippines’ diplomatic outpost nearest to Somalia.

“We are hopeful that with the successful negotiation to be undertaken by the shipowners, we will be able to secure the release of the 89 Filipino seamen still under custody” of the Somali pirates, Ermita said.

Piracy, particularly in the Gulf of Aden, has continued unabated since Somalia plunged into political chaos and civil unrest 1991.


DND activates assistance desk

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro launched today the DND Proper Public Assistance Desk or DND PPAD to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the Department of National Defense in Camp Aguinaldo.

The DND PPAD is a centralized, ‘one-stop-shop’ assistance center created to help walk-in public with their various concerns pertaining to the department and its bureaus.

It is has been activated to receive observations, suggestions, complaints on the performance and the delivery of service of DND’s bureaus, namely, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) and Government Arsenal (GA).

Underscoring this year’s anniversary theme, “The DND and the Filipino People: One Team, One Country. One Vision.”, Teodoro said: "Through the DND PPAD, we are bringing our defense activities to our people and encouraging them to be involved in our work."

He said the DND PPAD is part of the ongoing reform at the DND-AFP in its effort to promote transparency in its transactions and of transforming DND-AFP into a more efficient and responsive agency.

Making good use of the continuing expansion in telecommunications, the DND designated public service hotlines to facilitate the open and direct interaction between the agency and the public.

For accessing the text hotline, simply type DND and send it to the Government Information Service number 2920. The sender would receive a reply on how to send a message to the DND.

After sending the message, the sender would then receive a response acknowledging their messages and would be notified on the status of their report. The sender would be charged P2.50 for every text message sent.

The DND PPAD could also be reached through hotline numbers (02) 912-85-82; (02) 9116001 loc. 8439; and 0918-2724620 for Smart subscribers or 0915-344-6591 for Globe subscribers.

The public could also e-mail DND PPAD to publicassistance@dnd.gov.ph for their views, observations, suggestions and complaints.

According to Teodoro, this endeavor would boost the public service efforts of the DND-AFP through enhanced communication technology and information activities. (PNA)


Report raises need for harmonizing culture and development

A new United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) recent report stressed the need to harmonize culture and countries' development efforts to further promote rights of people, particularly women.

UNFPA's State of the World Population 2008 report focuses on culture, gender and human rights as studies show women continue bearing the brunt of decades-old cultural practices and beliefs that still prevail but which violate their rights as people.

Authorities consider such human rights violation detrimental to countries' progress.

"Culture is at the center of development," UNFPA Representative Suneeta Mukherjee said Wednesday during the report's Philippine launch at EDSA Shangrila in Mandaluyong City.

UNFPA, an agency committed to advancing human rights worldwide, spearheaded the launch with Commission on Human Rights Commissioner Cecilia Rachel Quisumbing, National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women Chairperson Myrna Yao as well as Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Esperanza Cabral.

"The report can help authorities develop better policies and programs on women's rights," Quisumbing said.

To bring about more rational development and better protection of women, UNFPA is promoting a culturally sensitive approach that harmonizes culture and human rights expectations.

Such can be done through measures like partnering with guardians of cultural norms and policies, building capacity of communities to promote females' rights and engaging men in designing and implementing programs on curbing violence against women.

The academe, program implementors, policy makers, media and private sector must help promote the culturally sensitive approach to development, UNFPA noted.

UNFPA is urging countries to adapt this approach, noting studies show deep-rooted cultural beliefs to sustain gender inequality and gender-based violence is perpetrated through socio-cultural norms and traditions.

Culture also influences the manner of addressing women's health, domestic concerns, security and other aspects of their lives, UNFPA continued.

Yao is supporting UNFPA's culturally sensitive approach.

"Cultural sensitivity must be understood to help eliminate all forms of violence against women," she said during the launch.

She also noted the approach is timely as women generally still lack resources at their disposal and have limited participation in making decisions that will change their lives.

"We must consider cultural diversity to develop more effective human rights strategies," she said.

Cabral is concerned about the Catholic Church's opposition to the reproductive health bill proposed in Congress to enhance government's population management.

"The Philippines is growing at about 1.8 million people annually but there are efforts instead to promote natural family planning to the exclusion of more effective contraceptives," she noted. "We need to change along with the times. As the report states, people made culture and can bring about change."

She noted Filipinos are changing as a survey show about 71 percent of them support the reproductive health bill despite the Catholic Church's opposition to it.

"We can't continue living in a culture that stubbornly clings to beliefs that derail the country's development," she said. (PNA)


PGMA arrives in San Francisco on her way to Chicago to meet Filipino community

SAN FRANCISCO (PNA/via PLDT) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo arrived here today for a quick U.S. trip to address the United Nations Interfaith Conference on Dialogue of Civilizations on November 12 in New York City.

The President and her lean delegation landed at the San Francisco International Airport aboard a Philippine Airlines commercial flight at 5:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Manila).

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Willy Gaa led Filipino officials in welcoming the President who is staying overnight here before flying to Chicago Tuesday morning to meet with members of the Filipino community.

"The President will just have a quiet dinner with the Philippine delegation here tonight," according to Press Secretary Jesus G. Dureza, who is accompanying the President in her US trip.
After the Filipino community gathering in Chicago, President Arroyo will fly to New York to attend a high-level meeting on Interfaith and Inter-cultural Dialogue at the 63rd Session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

The Philippines is among the leading proponents of global initiatives on interfaith dialogue and cooperation for peace. (PNA)


Malacanang rejects NDF-Madrigal demands

Malacañang laughed off today the call of the National Democratic Front (NDF) and Sen. Jamby Madrigal for the removal of Secretary Hermogenes Esperon as chief of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) as a precondition for the resumption of the peace talks between the government and the communist rebels.

“They (NDF and Madrigal) are in no position to foist any such demand on the government,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said at his regular Wednesday press conference this afternoon in Malacañang.

In dismissing Madrigal and NDFP chair Luis Jalandoni call for the removal of Esperon as presidential adviser, Ermita pointed out that Esperon, a retired Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, continues to enjoy the full confidence of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

He said that while Madrigal has all the right to do what she wants to do as head of the Senate Committee on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, whatever agreement she forges with the NDFP is not binding on the executive branch.

“The peace process is still in place. It is temporarily suspended because of things we thought should be agreed upon before we resume” negotiations, said Ermita, who is concurrent presidential spokesman.

“First of all, they (NDFP and Madrigal) are not in a position to place demands before the government,” he added.

He pointed out that the “subject matter on the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunities Guarantee (JASIG) is crucial in the consideration of the resumption of the peace talks.”

“Sila naman ang ayaw tumupad sa conditions ng JASIG. Marami nava-violate… Mabuti i-suspend ‘yan para ituwid yan; at kailangan mag-umpisa tayo sa tamang paraan para umusad ang negotiations,” Ermita added.

Madrigal met with Jalandoni in the Netherlands yesterday.

Jalandoni and the other NDF rebels in self-exile are also demanding that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed group, the New Peoples Army (NPA), and CPP founding chairman, Jose Ma. Sison, be delisted as terrorist organizations and as a terrorist, respectively, in the United States and the European Union.


Western Visayas farmers benefit from organic farming, says DA head

Iloilo City (PIA)- Soil fertility can best be improved using the organic farming technology, and farmers in the region are now benefiting from this type of farming strategy.

This was emphasized by Director Larry Nacionales of the Department of Agriculture, Region 6 during the PIA-Cable TV program, recently.

“Farmers in the region can reduce or minimize use of costly fertilizers on their farms, but could still increase crop yields and this is possible through the balanced fertilization strategy or tamang abono program which the DA is promoting to help farmers boost their productivity,” Director Nacionales said.

Director Nacionales cited these microbial inoculants as the Bio- N and Bio-Con. These were developed by experts at the University of the Philippines campus in Los Banos.

He explained that Bio-N for example, is mixed with the seeds prior to planting it to the field, and it promotes the growth of the plants, particularly rice and corn.

“There are several farmers here in the region who are already appreciating the organic farming and in fact, Negros Occidental have local ordinance and many of our producers are in Negros Occidental.

Nacionales emphasized that what is important is that “our farmers should know how to sustain the nutrients in their farm’s soil for a better production yield”.

The DA 6 Regional Director also said that the overall production target of Western Visayas for 2009 is 2.09 million metric tons higher by 10% to last year’s 1.9 million metric tons target output.

He expressed optimism that the 2.09 million MT target output will be attained with the favorable weather condition and “expectedly there will be a 3.8 percent increase in production performance.

Meanwhile, President Arroyo launched during the National Food Summit the FIELDS program in keeping with her SONA commitment to raise the national food sufficiency level and ensure “pagkain sa bawat mesa”. (PIA 6/T.Villavert)