PIA Dispatch - Wednesday, November 26, 2008

PGMA appeals to rich countries to help poor nations amid global financial turmoil

LIMA, Peru (via PLDT) – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has welcomed any bailout package that rich nations may extend to help developing economies address the problems posed by the global financial debacle.

The President issued her call for help of the advanced economies in her speech after she was conferred an honorary doctorate degree, honoris causa, by the Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola here.

"We called on the countries of G-20 to include the developing economies in the brave action of extending help that they intend to take to abate the problem in the global financial order," the President said in Spanish.

Although the Philippines has not been severely affected by the global financial crisis, it faces serious threats brought about by the global economic uncertainties.

“We don't have crisis in the Philippines. But there are serious threats before us. During these times, it is the obligation of governments to assuage their people vis-a-vis the fear of prices and economic difficulties brought about by the world crisis,” she stressed.

She added that the recession now being experienced by countries could be avoided by optimizing economic stimulus packages for economic recovery.

At the conclusion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Summit here, the President and 20 other APEC leaders also called for the conclusion of the stalled Doha Round of talks of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Trade Secretary Peter Favila said an APEC Ministers Meeting might be held before the end of the year to push for the conclusion of the Doha trade discussions.


Palace calls dismissal of impeachment complaint vs PGMA “a welcome development”

Malacanang said today the decision of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Justice to junk the latest impeachment complaint filed against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo a “welcome development.”

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, in his weekly press briefing in Malacanang today, said this is the fourth time that the President’s detractors filed an impeachment complaint against her and the issues raised in the latest case were a mere rehash of the first three complaints.

“What is important is that we follow the procedures,” Ermita said, adding that the final decision is still to be made after the plenary debate on whether or not to ratify the dismissal of the impeachment complaint by the House Committee on Justice.

Ermita acknowledged though that the President’s having many allies in the House of Representatives is “something working for us and we are glad we have such allies in Congress.”

He stressed that the President’s close relations with Congress works in favor of the administration, especially in the passage of important legislations that will improve the lives of the people and move the country forward.

The impeachment complaint against the President -- which the House Committee on Justice junked today -- was filed by businessman Jose "Joey" de Venecia III, son of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.

Voting 42-8, the committee ruled that the complaint was "insufficient in substance."

This is the fourth impeachment rap filed against the President since 2005.

Under former Speaker Jose de Venecia’s leadership, the House dismissed the impeachment complaints against the President in 2005, 2006 and 2007 for lack of merit.

Philippine law allows only one impeachment complaint each year against the president. The younger De Venecia's complaint was filed last Oct. 13, or a full year after the last impeachment complaint was dismissed by the House of Representatives.


PGMA remains supportive of charter change moves

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo remains a strong supporter of any moves to amend the 1987 Constitution, particularly on economic provisions and political structure.

Executive Eduardo Ermita, in his weekly press briefing in Malacanang today, said the President’s support for charter change is “not something new” as amending the constitution has been in her presidential campaign platform in 2004.

“It is something we are saying we are not totally averse to… What is important is the results of these efforts to amend the Constitution, without any effort from Malacanang to push for it,” Ermita said.

Ermita said that for the country to move forward, “there is indeed a need to revisit the Constitution, especially the economic provisions.’’

He lamented, though, that the President’s critics have always linked any move to amend the Constitution to her desire to extend her term of office.

“Talks now must focus on the need to improve our economy and our political system by amending the Constitution,” he stressed.

The President made charter change one of her key issues when she ran for president, mentioned it in three of her State of the Nation Addresses and has campaigned for amending the Constitution.

The President started to become more vocal about charter change during her campaign for the presidency. Before she filed her certificate of candidacy, she announced that lobbying for a shift to a parliamentary and federal government is in her party’s campaign platform.

She told her supporters on Jan. 5, 2004: “We have made progress but we will need your support to get the job done for the fundamental change in our political system.”

She said the process is “a strategic hope for change” and is “about getting the Philippines back in the world map and putting the Filipino people on the road to peace and prosperity permanently.”


DOTC secretary accuses De Venecia of twisting facts on NBN-ZTE deal

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza today accused former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. of deliberately twisting the facts about the cancelled National Broadband Network (NBN)-ZTE deal in a continuing attempt to besmirch President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In a press statement distributed during the regular Wednesday press conference of Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita in Malacanang this afternoon, Mendoza said that after the Supreme Court dismissed with finality the claims of De Venecia’s son “Joey” against the NBN-ZTE deal, the former speaker continues to make baseless allegations against the President.

“He (De Venecia) found this opportunity with the House Justice Committee’s impeachment hearings,” Mendoza said.

The DOTC secretary debunked De Venecia’s claim that First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo lobbied for ZTE to secure the NBN project. “Nothing that De Venecia said, however, showed that the First Gentleman did by word or action. It was the Chinese government (which) chose ZTE,” Mendoza said.

He added: “In contrast, JDV himself intervened and exerted his influence for the approval of his son’s Amsterdam Holdings BOT (build-operate-transfer) proposal to NEDA.”

Mendoza also refuted De Venecia’s allegation that it was during the Shenzhen golf game that the mode in the implementation of the NBN project was changed from BOT to government-to-government.

He explained that as “early as October 2006, the CICT as the lead NBN agency, in a letter to NEDA already recommended that the NBN project be pursued as a G2G project as proposed by ZTE. This recommendation was concurred in by DOTC, endorsed by NEDA ICC and eventually approved by the full NEDA Board.”

On De Venecia’s claim that his son’s BOT proposal thru Amsterdam Holdings was superior to ZTE’s since it entailed no cost to the Philippine government, Mendoza riposted that nothing could be farther from the truth.

“In the first place, Amsterdam Holdings had no money, no telecommunications franchise, no technical knowledge or competence. It was a shell company meant to exploit a government contract to be awarded thru JDV’s influence and intervention. Moreover, JDV conveniently fails to mention that his son’s proposal will cost the government a substantial amount of money in terms of service fees it will charge the government. It was meant to be a profitable money-making venture” for Amsterdam Holdings, Mendoza said.

The DOTC chief also cited “two very glaring and damning omissions” of the former speaker:

“First, under the BOT Law, an unsolicited proposal like Amsterdam Holdngs’ is prohibited for a project like the NBN as the same is listed in the MTPDP (Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan).

“Second, relatives of the Speaker of the House are prohibited from being interested in government contracts. His son is the owner of Amsterdam Holdings.”


Palace taking hands-off stance on moves to expel JDV from Lakas

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said today any move to expel former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. from the ruling administration party for endorsing the impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal is a purely party matter and Malacanang will take its hands off the matter.

In his weekly press conference in Malacanang this afternoon, Ermita said the Palace will “leave (De Venecia’s fate) to the party.”

“Ang bawat party, may rules na sinusunod on the conduct of its members,” he said, in response to a newsman’s question about any possible party action against the former speaker for his all-out support for the opposition-initiated impeachment complaint against the President.

“I don’t want to speak on behalf of the party (Lakas) because I am not an officer of the party. It is a party matter so let’s leave it to them,” he added.

Asked if the ouster of De Venecia from the party was discussed in the Palace, Ermita said: “Hindi. No such discussion… Somebody has to initiate that. Iwan na lang natin ang bagay na ‘yan sa partido.”

On the alleged statement of former Presidential Legal Adviser Sergio Apostol that De Venecia is facing ouster from the Lakas, Ermita, who is also the Presidential spokesman, replied that “there are procedures that we need to follow in the party. Let the procedures take their course… Let us see how it will progress.”

Told that the impeachment complaint was likely to give De Venecia free publicity for his newly released book, Ermita shrugged it off, saying: “It is a free country. Free choice… Why not? If he succeeded on that, why not? Pagbigyan natin sila kung ganon ang kanilang objective.”


Palace: No hand in House resolution seeking one-year extension of elected officials’ term

Malacanang today denied any hand in a House resolution calling for a one-year extension of the term of office of all elected officials, including the President.

“I don’t see how we can react to such position taken by a congressman. I’m not qualified. It only happened yesterday,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

He was referring to the resolution filed by Batangas Congressman Hermilando Mandanas that the May 10, 2010 election be reset to May 9, 2011 “to better synchronize local and national elections and to afford time for the necessary transitory preparations and the required adjustments.”

“We will not be lured into reacting to any congressional resolution,” Ermita said.

“Ang masasabi ko, the members of Congress are elected officials. They are in their own right to take action as they see fit as representatives.”

The Batangas solon, Ermita said, “thinks of his position as such and where he sits as congressman, he has own ideas on what is good for the country.”

“It’s not for the palace to make interpretation on any subject matter coming from any congressman,” he added.

Asked if the Palace was consulted on the matter, the Executive Secretary said, “no.”

“I spoke about it with (Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Gabriel) Gabby (Claudio). He said, no, he does not know” about the resolution,” Ermita added. “I asked PLLO (Presidential Legislative Liaison Jake) Lagonera. Sabi, no, we have not been consulted by Congressman Mandanas.”

Will the Palace seek the recall of the resolution? “Well, ‘di ko naman gagawin ‘yan. I am being too presumptuous as to say that would be my action, and that it is the instruction of the President. They (congressmen) are acting on their own as elected officials,” Ermita said.


U.S. Embassy closed Thursday for Thanksgiving holiday

The United States Embassy and its affiliated offices will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 27, in observance of Thanksgiving Day.

The traditional North American holiday is observed on the fourth Thursday of November in the U.S. usually with a turkey dinner revolving around family and in Canada on the second Monday of October.

Considered a harvest festival, it originated in 1621, when Gov. Bradford of the Plymouth colony in Massachusetts appointed a day for public praise and prayer after the first harvest.

The practice spread throughout the other New England colonies, and then throughout the U.S. (PNA)


BPO industry collaborates with academe on employment opportunities

Key representatives from 20 schools all over Metro Manila gathered for the Academe Day, a pre-event in preparation for the upcoming BPO Summit Philippines 2008, the major annual event of the Philippine non-voice outsourcing industry.

The special meeting for the academe was put together by five industry associations on how to work together to sustain the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector’s optimistic business and employment projections until 2012.

Jonathan De Luzuriaga, executive director for industry affairs of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P), said the trade group is entertaining one to two investors every week.

While they are considering alternative locations such as China, Sri Lanka or India, he said, these investors are choosing the Philippines.

Luzuriaga noted that support sectors such as training, telecommunications and real estate are already beefing up for this steady flow of investment.

“The outsourcing industry is growing exponentially, expecting to provide one out of every 10 jobs created in the Philippines in the next three to four years," he said. The remaining question is the supply of talent –if it can sustain the growth of development for the next five years.

It was the same appeal from the other outsourcing industry associations.

Avic Ilagan, executive director of the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI), explained, “Filipinos are very talented and it’s time the world knows of the diversity of the Filipino talent.”

On his part, Ranulf Goss, representing the Game Development Association of the Philippines (GDAP), shares how many Filipino artists and programmers are behind many of the games in popular consoles such as the Microsoft XBox 360 and Sony PlayStation.

“Many more foreign companies are looking to outsource their business and are eyeing the Philippines,” he bared.

As such, the role of the academe is crucial to the BPO industry.

During the Academe Day, the different members of the academe expressed their support and desire to review with their school boards the new statistics from the BPO industry and how they can help fuel and sustain the growth of the BPO industry and contribute to the economic progress of the Philippines.

The BPO Summit Philippines 2008 will be held on December 2-3, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila and Holiday Inn Galleria Manila in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.


SEARCA announces climate change photo contest winners
by Ranell Martin M. Dedicatoria, KMU-SEARCA
25 November 2008

The entry “Wood gatherer in Bangui” by Ramon Castillo won first place in the SEARCA Photo Contest 2008 themed Coping with Climate Change: Finding Solutions. Castillo also bagged third place for his entry “Reforestation.” On the other hand, Gina Meneses’ Rebirth placed second.

The winning entry of Castillo was taken in Ilocos Norte. It depicts a wood gatherer with the wind turbine as his background. According to him, both the wood gatherer and windmills use renewable source of energy, which is a good way to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Meneses’ Rebirth shows the danger posed by forest denudation and how it impacts the mangrove ecosystem while Castillo’s Reforestation presents another effective solution to address climate change, and that is through planting.

The said photo contest ran from August 16 until November 17, 2008. It is expected to elicit photos depicting adaptation and mitigation to climate change, a pressing global issue at present. A total of 195 photo submissions coming from the Philippines, Myanmar, Singapore, and India were gathered.

The entries were judged based on the following criteria: relevance (35%), regional flavor (20%), originality (20%), composition (15%), and sharpness (10%). Dr. Ma. Victoria Espaldon, Dean of the School of Environmental Science and Management (SESAM), University of the Philippines Los Baños; Mr. Al Benavente, Mr. Edwin Cortes, and Mr. Joel Cardenas (photographers); and Dr. Ma. Celeste Cadiz, SEARCA’s Training Manager served as judges.

The winning photos together with 12 other shortlisted entries will be exhibited during SEARCA’s 42nd anniversary on November 27. Awarding ceremonies will be on the same day. Winners will receive $500 (first place), $300 (second place), and $200 (third place).


High-level roundtable on post Nargis relief and recovery efforts in Myanmar

“Continued commitment by Tripartite Core Group to recovery efforts for Nargis survivors”

Yangon, Myanmar, 26 November 2008 - The Tripartite Core Group (TCG) convened a high-level Roundtable on Post Nargis Relief and Recovery Efforts in Yangon today to review TCG’s current efforts in implementing the relief and recovery activities on the ground, and preparedness planning efforts. The Roundtable also identified the next steps for various stakeholders to ensure progress in the recovery of the Delta and to maintain support for the affected population. More than 100 participants attended the Roundtable, including high-level representatives from ASEAN countries, TCG members, international humanitarian organisations, donors, and media.

In his welcome remarks, Mr. Bansarn Bunnag, Senior ASEAN member to the TCG and Thailand ’s Ambassador to the Union of Myanmar, said, “ASEAN’s leading role in relief and recovery process of the Cyclone-hit areas is outstanding. In a way, it is shown to be an invaluable factor in the post-Nargis relief and recovery efforts. ASEAN, together with the United Nations and the international community, must maintain a concerted effort to help those severely affected by Cyclone Nargis to build back their lives.”

More than six months after Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar , 63% of the UN’s Revised Appeal of USD 473 million has been raised. However, continuing funds and support are needed.

At the Roundtable, the TCG updated on the progress of the first Periodic Review. The Periodic Review teams have finished collecting the data at the township level and the preliminary findings were shared. The full report will be launched at the ASEAN-UN Summit Meeting in Thailand in mid-December 2008.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Myanmar and TCG Chairman U Kyaw Thu said, “The outcome of the Periodic Review is important in that it will not only inform us on the current needs of people on the ground, it will be a driving wheel in the recovery processes.”

The progress of the TCG Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan (PONREPP) was also reported at the Roundtable. The finalised plan is scheduled to be presented at the ASEAN-UN Summit in mid-December 2008.

“It is important that the TCG continues its constructive engagement to facilitate the cyclone response delivery. Critical elements today are in the sectors of water, shelter and livelihoods, including agriculture. Continued collaborative efforts and support are key to success in the challenges ahead,” said the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Bishow Parajuli.


Army explains checkpoints

ICC, Iligan City (26 November). Army checkpoints to increase security measures were up early this week along the road connecting the cities of Iligan and Marawi, in front of the 104th Infantry Brigade camp at Barangay Maria Cristina of the city, attracting varied reactions from the people in the area.

A commuter complained claiming that there was discrimination as the checkpoint stopped and inspected their vehicle upon seeing the occupants to be Maranaos. It was argued that there was a seeming bias against the group that can provoke resentment and was further considered to violate Human Rights. On the other hand, many local folks particularly from Iligan City welcomed the checkpoints as it was viewed to provide them more security.

Col Benito de Leon, Commander of the 104th Infantry Brigade declared that he ordered the checkpoint along the Iligan-Marawi route to control the passage of lawless armed groups that were reportedly just freely passing through the road.

He said that no prejudice was directed towards a certain group as he disclosed even requiring at one point for all vehicles be checked including those of the military, police, or other government agencies.

This measure, he said would curb those who plan to impersonate persons in authority, and allow the military to monitor the passage of security concerned forces. Certain individuals were also reported carrying firearms without authority and even on board government vehicles or ambulances, hence the checkpoints, he adds.

Col De Leon, himself, went on radio broadcast to explain the rationale of checkpoints which is intended to complement police enforcement activities and contribute to the efforts of ensuring good peace and order.

He explained that “check points” is a mechanism in accord with the AFP’s Rules of Engagement and does not violate Human Rights.

As Col. De Leon apologized to the riding public for the inconvenience of the checkpoints, he also asked them to extend cooperation to facilitate the job of the military security forces.

He advised vehicle drivers on approaching a checkpoint the following: slow down and prepare to stop if signaled; dim their lights; open their windows; and turn on their cabin lights.

“Rest assured that we will establish any security arrangement allowed by our laws and regulations, including the conduct of checkpoints, if only to protect the people we are duty-bound to serve,” emphasized Col de Leon.