Nanawagan ang Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa kanyang mga kritiko na makipagkasundo na sa pamahalaan upang labanan ang tumitinding global financial crisis.
Sinabi ng Pangulo ang ganitong pahayag sa isang wreath-laying ceremony na siyang pasimula sa pag-alaala ng ika-23 anibersaryo ng EDSA People Power.
Ayon sa Pangulo, nasa diwa ng pagkakaisa na ipinamalas ng mga Pilipino noong EDSA ang susi sa tagumpay nating mga Pilipino at harapin at malampasan ang mga baong hamon na kinakaharap ng ating bansa.
Oil firms, retailers cut LPG, diesel prices
Liquified Petroleum Gas retailers will cut down prices by Php 1 per kilogram tomorrow.
This is the second round of price reduction following the price cut over the weekend.
Apart from the low world price, retailers cited the high supply of LPG has been pulling down the market price.
Last year, the Christmas holiday has tighten the LPG supply and drove prices as high as P600 per tank.
Current LPG prices ranged between Php500 and Php580 per tank.
Retailers had slashed their prices Saturday by Php 3 per kilogram to reflect a US$58 per metric ton reduction in contract prices from January to February.
Meanwhile, Petron Corporation, Caltex Chevron, PPTT Philippines Corporation, Seaoil Philippines and Pilipinas Shell have reduced their diesel prices by Php 1 per liter today.
Current diesel prices are estimated between Php 22.24 and Php 28.45 per liter.
Some outlets of big oil firms were forced to reduce prices because small oil players were selling diesel at rock bottom prices.
Furthermore, the low price of finished diesel products in the world market also drove the prices down. #
Presyo ng LPG at Diesel pababa
Bababa na naman ng piso kada kilo ang presyo ng liquefied petroleum gas simula bukas.
Ito ay ikalawang pagtapyas sa presyo ng LPG: ang unang pagbaba ng presyo ay nangyari noong Sabado.
Bukod sa mababang world price, sinabi ng mga independent retailer na ang mataas na supply sa merkado ang humahatak pababa sa presyo ng LPG.
Una rito, binawasan ng mga retailer nang tatlong piso kada kilo ang halaga ng LPG noong Sabado.
Noong nakaraang Disyembre, tumaas ang demand sa LPG kaya naging pahirapan ang supply.
Dahil dito, umabot nang hanggang Php600 kada tangke ang halaga ng LPG noong mga panahong iyon.
Samantala, halos sabay-sabay nagbaba ng presyo ng diesel ang Petron Corporation, Caltex Chevron, PPTT Philippines Corporation, Seaoil Philippines at Pilipinas Shell.
Piso kada litro ang ibinaba ng presyo ng diesel ngayong araw na ito.
Tinatayang nasa pagitain ng Php 22.24 at Php 28.45 kada litro ang presyo ng diesel.
Naiulat na napuwersa ang ilang mga outlet ng mga malalaking kumpanya ng langis na magbaba na presyo dahil sa mababang presyong inaalok ng mga maliit na oil players.
Nakatulong din ang mababang presyo ng finished diesel products sa pandaigdigang merkado sa kasalukuyang pagprepresyo sa diesel. #
LTFRB warns penalty vs jeepney drivers who will ignore fare rollback
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will penalize jeepney drivers who will ignore the fare rollback that took effective today.
The board approved last week the 50 centavo provisionary fare rollback following a petition from a commuters group and the fall of diesel prices in the world market.
The LTFRB resolution also includes giving fare discounts to senior citizens, students and persons with disabilities.
From seven pesos and fifty centavos, the minimum fare rate for the first four kilometers is now seven pesos.
However, the provisional rate for the next kilometers remains at one peso and forty centavos.
The rollback is implemented throughout Mega Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Aurora , Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Batangas, Cavite , Mindoro , Marinduque, Romblon at Palawan . #
Mga dyipney drayber na hindi susunod sa fare rollback, parurusahan ng LTFRB
Nagbanta ang Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) na paparusahan ang mga dyipney drayber na hindi susunod sa pinakahuling fare rollback.
Inaprubahan noong nakaraang linggo ng LTFRB ang singkwenta sentimong fare rollback kasunod ng petisyon ng isang commuter’s group at paglagpak ng presyo ng diesel sa pandaigdigang merkado.
Kasama din sa resolusyon ang paggawad ng diskwento sa pasahe sa mga senior citizen, estudyante at mga taong may kapansanan.
Mula pitong piso at singkwenta sentimos, ang minimum na pasahe para sa unang apat na kilometro ngayon ay pitong piso.
Gayumpaman, ang piso at kuwarenta sentimong provisional rate para sa susunod na kilometro ay paiiralin parin.
Epektibo ang rollback sa buong Mega Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlak, Aurora, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Batangas, Kabite, Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon at Palawan. #
Bakers cuts down prices of tasty bread and pandesals
Like jeepney fare and diesel products, loaf breads and pandesal have a price roll back
The Philippine Baking Industry (PHILBAKING) took off fifty centavos for every 10 pieces of Pandesal while the price for popular tasty bread got sliced by a peso.
Philbaking President Simplicio Umali explained the price of imported flour went down from Php 900 to Php 870 per 25 kilogram bag. #
Presyo ng Tasty at Pandesal, ibinaba
Tulad ng pasahe sa dyip at diesel, nagkaroon din ng rollback sa presyo ng loaf bread at pandesal.
Singkwenta sentimos ang tinanggal sa bawat sampung pirasong pandesal samantala piso naman ang inalis sa bawat tasty bread.
Ayon kay Simplicio Umali ng Philippine Baking Industry, ibinaba nila ang presyo ng loaf bread at pandesal dahil sa pagbaba rin ng presyo ng inaangkat nilang harina.
Mula sa dating Php 900, naging Php 870 na lang ang presyo ng isang salop na harina na may timbang na tig-bebeinte singko kilo. #
38,000 informal family settlers benefit from Northrail Relocation Program
A total of 38,206 informal family settlers will benefit from the Northrail Relocation Program (NRP) affected by the North Luzon Railway System Project. This is in accordance with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s order for the National Housing Authority (NHA) to implement the Rail Related Resettlement and Relocation Programs – in line with the Super Regions – Luzon Urban Beltway economic blueprint.
The Northrail Relocation Program (NRP) has been developing relocation sites for informal family settlers from the Philippine National Railway (PNR) rail rights-of-way from Kalookan City to Malolos, Bulacan.
The NRP is now being implemented in four Phases: Phase 1, Section 1 - Caloocan, Malabon and Valenzuela in Metro Manila and Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocuae; Phase 1, Section 2 - Barrio Longos in Malolos City and Calumpit, Bulacan toward the province of Pampanga; Phase 2 - Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Pampanga to Subic Bay in Olongapo City; Phase 3 - Clark to La Union; and Phase 4 - Caloocan City to Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.
Based on the data from the NHA as of January 31, 2009, the Northrail Relocation Program (Phase 1, Sections 1 and 2) has already generated 37,945 lots, and developed 17,998 structures for the informal family settlers affected by the project.
The NRP – Phase 1, Section 1 has already reached completion with total generated lots of 18,741 and structures of 17,998 in nine (9) relocation sites in Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Sta. Maria, Balagtas, Guiguinto, and Malolos. Of this, 17,415 informal settler families have been actually relocated by the NHA.
The NRP - Phase 1, Section 2, according to NHA, is now being developed in eight relocation sites in Malolos and Calumpit, Bulacan; Apalit, Minalin, Sto. Tomas, San Fernando, Angeles, and Mabalacat, Pampanga, with a total generated lots of 19,204. The construction of structures for these lots is in the offing.
The Arroyo administration is relentless in pushing the implementation of resettlement program to protect the illegal settlers living along the railways and road projects, and provide them with safe dwelling places. The relocation of informal settlers would likewise help decongest Metro Manila and redound to more socio-economic benefits to the people.
PGMA orders PVAO to set up temporary processing centers for the speedy processing of Filvets' benefits
The President issued the directive to spare the veterans who have served the country the cost of going to Metro Manila to have their claims processed.
To be called as PVAO Fast Track Centers, President Arroyo said the processing centers will be put temporarily in the provinces with the large number of World War II veterans.
“The roster of surviving World War II veterans now in PVAO and the updated database of government agencies that have records of living veterans will be the basis for where the PVAO FTCs shall be located,” the President said during the celebration held at the Heroes Hall in Malacanang on the passage of the US law granting more benefits to WW II veterans.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was passed by the US Congress on Feb. 14 and signed into law by President Barack Obama on Feb. 17 as part of the US government stimulus package, grants a one-time lump-sum payment of $15,000 for each US-based Filipino WWII veteran and $ 9,000 for those living in the Philippines.
The Chief Executive also instructed the PVAO staffers, who will be assigned to the temporary processing centers, to coordinate with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the local government leaders in their areas of assignment to fast track the setting up of the centers.
“The dispersal of PVAO staffers to carry out outreach programs in the provinces will also help them develop a keener understanding of the problems faced by our war veterans,” she said.
The President said the PVAO staffers should also need to communicate in simple and easy to understand language the entire processing exercise.
“In their old age and the winter of their lives, the veterans need more than ever, the tender and caring hands of government,” the Chief Executive said as she assured the Filipino veterans that her administration will continue working with the US government in ensuring that benefits and recognition are given to them.
Aside from US President Barack Obama, the President also thanked the US senators and congressmen who “have been staunch supporters of Filipino veterans all these years.”
She also underscored the need to prioritize the welfare of the poorest people as “we are looking at ways to help develop economies.”
“We observed that the welfare of the poorest people and the poorest economies are not yet a priority as the world searches for solution to the global crisis and we urged that it must be made a priority in moving forward,” she added.
President Arroyo said the inclusion in the stimulus bill of World War veterans is an example of “what we have been advocating for --that is in looking for solutions to the crisis, we must not neglect the hardship of those most hurt by the global downturn, including our Filipino veterans.”
PGMA awards P1.14M to 57 rebel-returnees under the Social Integration Program
Each of the rebel-returnees received P20,000 as immediate cash aid to start life anew in mainstream society. The 57 rebel-returnees are from the Cordillera Autonomous Region (6), Pampanga (13), Panay Island (7), Bicol (5), and Caraga (26). Eight of them are women.
Aside from the P20,000 immediate cash, the rebel-returnees are also entitled to P50,000 under the SIP as capital assistance in the form of working animals, farm implements, and/or and sari-sari store goods, among others to help them rebuild their economic and social lives.
If they surrender their M16 or M14 rifles, they will also each receive an additional P50,000 for each firearm, and equitable amounts for similar firearms, explosives or ammunition surrendered.
To give rebel-returnees better direction under the SIP, they are to undergo seminar-workshops where they are briefed and acquainted with other program opportunities for them, including livelihood packages, employment, training and education assistance.
The seminars will also enable them to have better access to basic services and other social amelioration programs of government which they may be qualified.
The SIP involves a process whereby former rebels and their dependents are provided a set of interventions to facilitate their integration into mainstream social life. It provides a framework for the convergence and cooperation among local government units, state line agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs) and the community as well.
Among the partners of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) are the Department of Education (DepEd), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), National Food Authority (NFA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and DILG.
Presently, the OPAPP is working with selected LGUs in the creation of the latter’s Local Social Integration Committees (LSIC) designed to help sustain and strengthen the implementation of the SIP at the local level.
The SIP was officially launched on June 18, 2008 and in the last seven (7) months of its operation, it has already benefited some 331 rebel-returnees from all over the country.
Rolando Marzan, a rebel fugitive for 10 years and one of the 57 latest SIP benefiaries, regretted having joined the communist guerrilla movement during which time he lost his family.
“I would like to thank the government for giving us new hope. Our lives were destroyed by ideology. We will not go back to our dark past. We will start a new life for a better tomorrow,” he said in Filipino.
1.3M public school students, OSYs to benefit from DepEd's soapmaking program
MANILA (PNA) -- Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Jesli Lapus on Monday said some 1.3 million public schools students in Central Luzon will benefit from its cash-in-soap program.
The OSYs were trained on medicinal soap making by school health personnel who were trained by the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC).
"We are counting on some 12,300 OSYs to produce herb-based health soaps which we intend to distribute to schoolchildren suffering from various skin ailments in Tarlac and Pampanga," he added.
The engagement of OSYs in soapmaking falls under the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) being spearheaded by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Lapus was assigned to ensure and oversee the implementation of the various projects under the CLEEP in selected areas in Region III such as Tarlac and Pampanga.
The other CLEEP projects under the supervision of Lapus include utility services in public schools; livestock dispersal; irrigation restoration; construction of diversion dams and cultivation of organic fertilizer in the 1st district of Tarlac.
In the soapmaking livelihood activity, each OSY is expected to earn P4,000 for making 2,000 bars of soap. The 20-day production period is expected to yield about 24.6 million bars.
The soap production is slated on April to June 2009. The soaps are expected to be given to student beneficiaries for school-year 2009 to 2010.
"We will give these soaps to public elementary school pupils who will receive their year's supply of four bars of Citronella soap for their head lice, four bars of Acapulco or Guava soap to combat skin diseases, and 12 bars of calamansi soap for personal hygiene," said Lapus.
Lapus noted the program's 'multiplier effect' on the local economy. "It will lead to the creation of more jobs and the generation of additional income."
The education chief believes that the soap-making venture can be a sustainable livelihood project.
"There is a real need to produce medicinal soap at a minimal cost to keep our school children free from head lice and skin diseases," he added.
The distribution of soap is part of the Essential Health Care Package funded by local government units. The package consists of soap, toothpaste, toothbrush and de-worming tabs.
Studies showed that 46 percent of children in Region III have pediculosis or head lice while 40 percent have skin diseases.
Children with such health conditions have been observed to feel shy and do not actively participate in class activities.
Assistant Secretary for Special Concerns Thelma Santos said the program is one of DepEd's efforts to show concern to the pupils and improve their participation rate and retention.
Last 2008, DepEd has sent some 1,500 OSYs as utility workers in public schools.
"We can tap partners in the community who can take this project to the next level. We see the local government units who are always in the look-out for livelihood opportunities and the private sector which can also pitch in to better improve the technology and marketing," Lapus said.
CLEEP aims to mitigate the effects of the global economic crisis.
The cabinet secretaries served as stewards to various regions and were assigned their respective priority projects. (PNA)
