PIA Dispatch - Tuesday, December 23, 2008

PGMA doubles allocation for govt’s pro-poor programs to P10 billion

Preparing for the worst while hoping for the best, Malacanang said today that the P5 billion allocation for the government’s pro-poor subsidy programs will be raised to P10 billion next year in an effort to soften the impact of the global economic whiplash especially on the poorest of the poor Filipino families.

The Cabinet reached the decision to double the budget of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Pantawid Pamilya Program at its meeting this morning amid projections that the full impact of the worsening global economic crunch will be felt next year.

In 2006, or two years before the Wall Street collapse triggered the current global crisis, the President launched the Pantawid Pamilya Program in response to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

Briefing newsmen covering Malacanang after the Cabinet meeting, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Esperanza Cabral said the additional allocation of P5 billion released last week for the Pantawid Pamilya Program would double the number of beneficiaries from 320,000 households or one million children to 640 households are nearly two million children attending school.

Cabral said the President has given her until the first quarter of next year to identify the beneficiaries of the program who will be given cash assistance.

“We were directed by the President to saturate the 20 poorest provinces in the country if we can cover 100 percent of the poor households in the provinces with available resources. If there is money left, we will go to other provinces,” she said.

Under the program, a household that has three children in school will receive a grant of P1,400 a month, P500 for health and P300 each for 10 months for each child in school, day care or high school or up to a maximum of three children.

Cabral said the subsidy program now covers 40 percent of the 4.9 million poorest households, “a significant number of people.”

She said that under the government guidelines, the poverty threshold is P1,200 a month per person. If there are five persons in the family the total income is P6,000 a month. “Yun ang poverty threshold. Consider na poor ka if that is the only income you have.”

Cabral explained that children covered the government’s subsidy program should log at least an 85 percent school attendance, otherwise the assistance would be terminated.

But she added that so far, beneficiaries have complied strictly with the guidelines of the assistance program.

Earlier today, Malacañang said that while its strong anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs were in place, the “past months have been difficult for us.”

The “President has made it her personal mission to help the poorest among us survive this global financial meltdown,” Deputy Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said in a statement.

“The DSWD, for one, will get a P5B budget increase to support its pro-poor programs, particularly the 4 Ps, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, a flagship project of the President which provides subsidies to poor families and is expected to help 321,000 households,” Fajardo added.


DA to craft 2009 high-impact projects blueprint vs global crisis

MANILA (PNA) -- Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has given marching orders to DA officials to craft a comprehensive blueprint that would ensure the effective and speedy implementation of the agency’s “high-impact” projects in 2009, in sync with Malacanang’s plan to pump-prime the economy and preserve as well as create jobs in the midst of the global economic meltdown.

Meeting with key DA officials and regional executive directors (REDs) during last Monday’s Management Committee (ManCom) session, Yap said these “high-impact” projects are topped by those that are “labor-intensive” and can be quickly implemented as soon as the Palace has frontloaded funds for its economic stimulus program for 2009.

He said that these upcoming projects should be able to preserve jobs and generate new employment opportunities, given that “job creation is the first line of defense against the global financial meltdown”.

Projects that are encountering problems such as those with right-of-way issues or are difficult to implement will be set aside until they can be resolved, Yap said.“We should hit the ground running in 2009,” Yap said.

“Our goal is to award and implement 60% of our hard infrastructure projects by the first half of 2009 so that we can create more jobs and rev up the economy, especially in the countryside.”

Yap’s directives came as Malacañang moved to improve the ‘absorptive capacity” (or ability to utilize budgetary allocations) of government agencies in 2009 by baring plans to slash the allocations of offices that are slow in implementing projects and rechanneling such funds to other agencies able to deliver on their program commitments for the year.

“The DA family will draw up this master plan on the implementation of its high-impact projects in consultation with industry leaders in the agriculture and fisheries sector, so that the Department can pinpoint where the government will have to invest its resources and where the private sector can provide funding and other forms of assistance for other economic stimulus initiatives.

Yap pointed out the need for the Department to “synchronize” its investments with the private sector to optimize public spending in response to this suggestion by industry leaders from the various agriculture subsectors during an executive session or consultative meeting at the BWSM that was held prior to the ManCom meeting.

At the same time, Yap also stressed that the DA will monitor closely the implementation of its high-impact projects to ensure the judicious disbursement of funds particularly to its program partners in the private sector.

This objective dovetails with Yap’s earlier order on the creation of national and regional monitoring teams to conduct “periodic field validation and rapid appraisal” of the Department’s intervention measures under its banner program Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA), and the adoption of stringent guidelines on the release of funds to program partners like nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and people’s organizations (POs).

To maximize the use of DA funds, Yap said the DA is also shifting its focus on hard or “big-ticket” projects covering irrigation maintenance, postharvest facilities, farm-to-market roads (FMRs) and rural extension work, in lieu of “soft” projects like fertilizer support to farmers.

For instance, he said, instead of the fertilizer discount coupons that the DA has given out in 2008 to farmer-beneficiaries in partnership with local government units (LGUs), the Department will instead provide organic fertilizer manufacturing support to farmers in 2,600 clusters or sites where the DA will channel a bulk of its funds for intervention measures in 2009.

These clusters of adjacent or neighboring farms are spread out across 48 provinces, mostly in rainfed areas, where per-hectare yields are below the national average of 3.8 tons per hectare.

Organic fertilizer manufacturing support and other intervention measures will be channelled to these 2,600 clusters as a way to rapidly boost palay harvests by raising their per-hectare yields to the national average, he said.

Moreover, the DA will give priority to areas where the local government units are willing to provide counterpart funding for farm-friendly programs, as a way to funnel more funds into the countryside, stimulate rapid growth and create more jobs. (PNA)


FIELDS program cited for increase of Camiguin agriculture production

CAMIGUIN – The government’s FIELDS program has resulted in a significant increase in agricultural production in this province, thereby raising the income of the farmers.

Camiguin Gov. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo said today the benefits of the FIELDS program to the farmers tops the list of his report to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when she leads the Christmas gift-giving event for indigent residents at the provincial capitol grounds here tomorrow (Dec. 24).

FIELDS stands for fertilizer, irrigation and fertilizer; equipment, education and extension; loans, dryers and post harvest facilities; and seeds.

President Arroyo launched the enhanced agriculture productivity program in keeping with her administration’s to make food available, accessible and affordable especially to the poorest of the poor who are hardest-hit by the global price increases.

The six food production assistance package was unveiled by the President during the National Food Summit held last April at the Fontana Convention Center at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga.

Governor Romualdo said Camiguin’s palay production posted an 11 percent increase; corn by 2 percent this year as a result of the implementation of the FIELDS program.

Romualdo said other Camiguin products that posted better yields were banana, root crops, coconut, and the province’s famous sweet lanzones.

“We have managed to raise farmers’ production and profit. Increasing the productivity and income of small farmers and fisherfolks is the major weapon by which we can fight hunger and poverty in the province,” he said.

Romualdo said the FIELDS program underscored the President’s desire to ensure national food sufficiency in the coming years, especially in the face of the global economic uncertainties that are expected to persist until next year.


PGMA plays Santa Claus to indigent residents of Camiguin tomorrow

CAMIGUIN – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will play Santa Claus to about 3,000 indigent residents here tomorrow (Wednesday) a mere hours away from the traditional “noche buena” celebration on Christmas eve.

The President will lead the distribution of Christmas gifts to indigent residents at the provincial capitol grounds here.

To assist the President in the distribution of family food packs are Camiguin Gov. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, Camiguin Lone District Representative Pedro Romualdo and Mambajao Mayor Ma. Luisa Romualdo.

Governor Romualdo said Camiguin residents are very happy and privileged to be with the President a day before Christmas Day, considering her hectic schedule.

“We are much privileged to be with the President on the eve of the noche buena. The distribution of Christmas food packages really shows her concern for the poor residents in our province,” Romualdo said.

He said that by Dec. 29 a total of some 6,000 poor residents of the province would receive family food packs.

In the spirit of the Christmas season, the President had also spearheaded a medical and dental mission, and distributed family food packs to 2,000 indigent residents in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat.


Composition of GRP peace panel that will resume talks with MILF is out

Malacañang officially named today Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis as the new chairman of the government peace panel that will resume negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process chief retired general Hermogenes Esperon made the announcement in a press briefing this afternoon a day after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reiterated her commitment to peace through negotiations in her speech at the 73rd founding anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) last Monday.

Esperon said that the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) peace panel would be headed by Undersecretary Rafael Seguis whose members would include Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, General Santos City Mayor Adelbert Antonino, and sectoral representative Ronald Adamat from Maguindanao.

He said Secretary Pangandaman role is to provide continuity of the peace negotiations and to represent the Muslims while Mayor Antonino is to represent the local government and the Christian community and congressman Adamat is to represent the Lumads.

"We have almost all sectors represented now...but we will weigh it thoroughly so [that] all sectors would have strong representation in the panel," said Esperon.

On Dec. 1, the President already named Seguis to head the new GRP peace panel in order to resume peace negotiations with the MILF.

Seguis, who is currently the DFA undersecretary for Special Concerns, will head the new government negotiating panel with the MILF after the dissolution of the one which was headed by retired general Rodolfo Garcia.

He also served as Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia, East Timor, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.


Dureza: Malacanang respects Aquino’s decision to seek Estrada’s forgiveness

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said today that Malacañang respects the decision of former President Corazon Aquino to seek the forgiveness of former President Joseph Estrada for helping the anti-Estrada movement that led to his ouster in Jan. 2001.

In a press briefing in the Palace this afternoon, Dureza described Aquino’s public apology to Estrada as a reconciliatory position.

He said it should be noted that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself had “made the supreme reconciliatory move by exercising her presidential prerogative” of granting pardon to Estrada.

In the same new briefing, Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno said Aquino’s mea culpa was a “good development” for the unification of the contending political groups in the country.

“We should make every effort to reconcile with one another. Unity, not division, should be the order of the day. In that sense, we congratulate the former president for making the gesture of reconciliation as what President Arroyo has done,” Puno said.

“Hopefully, this will open the way to calming down political fires that rage in the country,” he added.


PGMA’s anti-poverty projects launch in Sarangani

MAASIM, Sarangani (December 23, 2008) – The early Christmas visit of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Malacaňang's top officials here aims to jumpstart anti-poverty efforts in communities affected by recent atrocities by Moro rebels.

The Department of National Defense (DND) started its infra and livelihood programs for the communities with the President leading a ceremonial repair of a two-classroom building worth P250,000 in Maasim Elementary School on December 17.

The DND is providing a total of P12 million for school repairs, barangay halls, water systems, farm-to-market roads, and seawall to Maasim and Kiamba towns.

"We will expand the projects as it is proper to do so, to the poorest of the poor in our communities and those who need our immediate assistance," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said.

Teodoro said the local government units identify the projects where the department can effectively give assistance.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will work hand in hand with the local government in implementing and supervising livelihood assistance for the communities.

"Ito yung mga tindahan na sinabi sa atin ng local government na susuportahan natin (These are the small enterprises according to the local government that we need to support)," Teodoro said.

In Maasim, 300 families are targeted to benefit from the livelihood projects and a hundred families more in Kiamba town.

During the visit, the DSWD turned over 2,000 food packs to the local government for the communities.

"The President, I believe, is genuinely happy since the people here being the beneficiary has something they understood that they will benefit from," Teodoro said.

"The governor here and the local government executives have the capacity, with experience, and the integrity. It is really an honor because it makes our job easier.

"Teodoro said communities are thankful with the presence of the military in their area to ensure their security.

Armed conflicts between some Moro rebels and government forces erupted in the neighboring towns of Maasim, Kiamba and Maitum during the past few months, displacing thousands of families from their homes.

Army troops from the 28th Infantry Battalion have overrun a camp of the so-called LMG in Maitum town following a chance encounter in the hinterlands of Tuanadatu two days before the President arrived.

"Whenever there is a threat to our civilian communities, we will not hesitate to take action not only against the Lawless Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Groups (LMG), but also other groups who will violate the law and threaten our civilians," Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Alexander Yano said.

The government declared a unilateral ceasefire for December 24, 25, 31 and January 1, according to Yano.

"Although we have a suspension of offensive military operations, it's still be an active defense against any possible attacks or any atrocities that they may do," Yano said.

On the other hand, President Arroyo congratulated World Boxing Organization Oriental Flyweight champ and Maasim's pride Richie Mepranum for winning over Cesar Lopez of Texas under the Pacquiao-dela Hoya Dream Match recently.

Arroyo proceeded to Glan town in the afternoon to inaugurate a P20-million limited international port for Sarangani-Indonesia business route through the Jose Abad Santos-Glan-Sarangani Cooperation Triangle (JAGS-CT). (Sarangani IO/PIA-SarGen)


Expansion of newly-rehab Glan port in Sarangani proposed

GLAN, Sarangani (December 23, 2008) - To further develop the emerging cross-border trading and people mobility between JAGS-CT (Jose Abad Santos-Glan-Sarangani Cooperation Triangle) member municipalities and Indonesia, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is proposing additional three phases expansion of the newly-rehabilitated Glan Port over the next nine months.

This is a follow-through activity from its P20M repair and rehabilitation job which President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo inaugurated on December 17.

The repair job completed in April this year consisted of demolition of the existing reinforced concrete wharf, the driving of new piles to strengthen its bearing capacity and the wharf's superstructure.

Glan Mayor Enrique Yap Jr. said expansion of the port would enhance economic activity thru the exchange of local trade within the neighboring JAGS municipalities and Bitung, Indonesia.

JAGS-CT and Bitung formalized a sisterhood agreement in 2006 to foster better relations and cooperation.

The port expansion would include the extension of 30 meters on the left side, the Roll on-Roll off (RoRo) ramp at the right side and the repair of the existing causeway.

Mayor Yap said the RoRo ramp was proposed due to the existing RoRo ramp also of the Port of Mabila, Sarangani, Davao del Sur to provide linkage between these two towns thru the expanded Strong Republic Nautical Highway.

This would offer efficient port facilities as the future expansion, according to Yap, also includes the construction of the PPA field office, the establishment of a perimeter fence and the main entrance gate.

Yap saw the advantage of his municipality being the trading point since Glan is much nearer to Indonesia.


The prioritization to develop Glan Port came after JAGS officials called on President Arroyo in 2005 to support the improvement of Glan Port and to declare the same as Limited International Port.

A trade link was established the following year and a maiden voyage of a vessel carrying commercial goods from Glan was sent off to Tahuna and Bitung, Indonesia. (SARANGANI IO/PIA-SarGen)


Maasim pilots Laban sa Kahirapan in Sarangani

MAASIM, Sarangani (December 23, 2008) - The municipality of Maasim is the pilot area for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Laban sa Kahirapan Program in this province.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the piloting of Maasim is just an introduction to more projects to be replicated in other areas in Sarangani.

Teodoro had inspected Maasim days before President Arroyo arrived December 17 for the ceremonial start of the P250,000 rehab project of a two-classroom building in Maasim Elementary School.

Packaged under the Laban sa Kahirapan Program is the cash-for-work to rehabilitate the school building and the self employment assistance to help finance a beneficiary's livelihood project in the amount of P5,000.

Teodoro said these projects are very important in areas like Maasim where conflict had occurred, so livelihood in the area must continue.

"Kasabay ng pag-protection sa inyo, ituloy natin ang normal na kabuhayan at magprogreso tayo," he told a crowd of teachers, government security personnel and civilians.

Governor Migs Dominguez is hopeful the program would inspire communities in Maasim to collaborate with the government in promoting peace and progress.

While there are children who could not go to school and while there are families that have not yet enjoyed assistance from the government, Dominguez said leaders in government are to give them inspiration and hope.

He likewise stressed the investments in education the program could provide for his constituents.

"We have to start investing in people," he said, revising the saying that Mindanao is not the land of promise. "Hindi po ang lupa ang promise. Ang promise po ay nasa ating lahat ng tao." (SARANGANI IO/PIA-SarGen)