PIA Dispatch - Thursday, February 26, 2009

PGMA exhorts private sector to sustain investments to shield RP from global crisis

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called on the private sector to help the government insulate the Philippines from the global economic crisis by continuing their investments and taking advantage of the country’s stable and secure fiscal and economic position.

In her address before the gathering of top local and international investors during the “Philippine Economic Briefing” at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City, the President said that the economic and fiscal reforms instituted by her administration have shielded the country from the wave of challenges since last year, such as the huge spike in food, fuel and rice prices, and now, global financial crisis.

Because of these reforms, the President said the Philippines registered an 8 percent GNP (gross national product) growth rate in 2007.

With the country’s sound fiscal management and prudent monetary policies, the President said she remains hopeful that the continued partnership with the private sector and the resiliency of the Filipino people would help insulate the country from the continuing global financial crisis.


Pangulong Arroyo, sinabihan ang Pribadong Sektor na tulungang pangalagaan ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas laban sa nararanasang global crisis

Pinakiusapan ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ang mga nasa Pribadong Sektor na tulungan ang gobyernong pangalagaan ang ekonomiya ng bansa laban sa nararanasang global economic crisis. Ito ay sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatuloy ng kanilang investments sa bansa, lalo pa’t nagpapamalas ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas ng katatagan at seguridad na pam-pinansiyal.

Sa naganap na pagpupulong ng mga pangunahing local at foreign investors sa Dusit Thani Hotel sa Makati, ipinagmalaki ng Pangulo ang kaniyang mga ipinatupad na economic at fiscal reforms na siya ngayong nagiging dahilan kung bakit patuloy na nagiging matatag ang ekonomiya ng bansa sa kabila ng sunod-sunod na suliraning pang-ekonomiya sa buong daigdig.

Dagdag pa ng Pangulo, dahil sa mga repormang kaniyang ipinatupad ay nagtala ang Pilipinas ng 8 percent GNP growth nuong 2007.

Naniniwala ang Pangulo na mananatiling matatag ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas dahil sa Sound Fiscal Management at Prudent Monetary policies ng Pamahalaan.


PGMA ensures college education for best public HS graduates

Through President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s “One Town, One Scholar” Program, poor but deserving public high school graduates who will be chosen as their municipalities’ “Town Scholar” or “Iskolar ng Bayan” can now be assured of a college education in a state university or college. 

The program aims to ensure that the best public high school graduate from every municipality, especially those who have no financial means, will get a college education,” 

All town scholars will each receive a scholarship for a four or five-year college degree program, including free tuition and transportation and living allowances, not exceeding P15,000 per semester for SY 2009-2010 and every year thereafter. The Town Scholar, however, must pass the state college or university’s entrance examination.

After graduating, the Town Scholar should render a return service for one year for every year of study grant within the country, with priority within the municipality of his/her residence.

The minimum qualifications for becoming a Town Scholar are: (a) a natural born Filipino citizen residing in the municipality/town; (b) graduating student of a public high school in the municipality/town; (c) belongs to the top 10 of the graduating class of a public school in said municipality; (d) with a combined gross annual family income below P300,000; and, (e) possesses good moral character and good health.

The Town Scholar shall carry a full semestral/trimestral load as prescribed in the course curriculum and finish within the subscribed duration of the course; enroll only in CHED-identified priority programs, preferably in a SUC near the municipality, and should not shift to another course or school, except for meritorious reasons. He/she should maintain an average of 2.0 in all subjects, with a grade of not less than 2.75 per subject, in order to be retained in the Program.

Interested applicants must submit their letters of application to their respective schools, subject to the screening and selection process agreed upon by Municipal/Town Head and DepED and in addition to the programs’ minimum requirements. Period for application, screening and selection of grantees at the municipal town level is from March 1 to April 15, 2009. 


Fast-track 17 projects in Luzon Urban Beltway

President Arroyo has ordered the fast-tracking of the remaining 17 priority projects in the Luzon Urban Beltway (LUB) to make the region an “investment haven.”

Mrs. Arroyo issued the order during the full Cabinet meeting here the other day where she ordered the LUB to be “a seamless priority infrastructure project.”

Mrs. Arroyo said, “Seamless means joining south Luzon as far as Batangas to northern Luzon with a series of world-class road systems through the STAR Tollway system linked with the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and the C-5 road and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).”

She instructed the Cabinet to make the LUB an “investment-friendly hub” as the region contributes at least 55 percent to the Gross Domestic Product and is considered the prime industrial and financial region of the country.

Sec. Eduardo Pamintuan of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development told reporters that 13 out of the 38 priority projects in the LUB worth P39 billion have been completed. Among the completed projects are the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, the Subic Bay Port, the STAR Tollway, and the Batangas and Marinduque ports. The LUB projects cost a total of P180 billion.


Pagtapos sa 17 proyekto sa Luzon Urban Beltway, pinabibilisan ni Presidente Arroyo

Ipinag-utos ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ang pagtapos sa nalalabing 17 priority projects na siyang magtatanghal sa Luzon Urban Beltway (LUB) para maging isang “investment haven.”

Sinabi ng Pangulo sa kanyang ginanap na Cabinet Meeting sa Pampanga nag awing “seamless priority infrastructure project” ang Luzon Urban Beltway.

Nilalayon ng proyektong Luzon Urban Beltway na pag-ugnayin ang Northern Luzon at Southern Luzon sa pamamagitan ng mga world-class na road system. Kasama na rito ang North Luzon at South Luzon Expressway, at ang C-5.

Ayon kay Sec. Eduardo Pamintuan ng Subic-Clark Alliance for Development, sa 38 priority projects ng LUB, 31 na ang natapos. Ang mga ito ay ang Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, ang Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, ang Subic Bay Port, ang STAR Tollway, at ang Batangas at Marinduque ports. Ang LUB projects ay nagkakahalaga ng P180 billion.


Pork is safe, hog raisers guarantee consumers

Pork lovers have nothing to fear: they can still enjoy their favorite lechon, adobo and sinigang na baboy 

The National Federation of Hog Farmers in the Philippines said hogs all over the country are safe to eat because government has contained the Ebola Reston Virus in a piggery in Bulacan. 

But just to calm down worried consumers, Hog farmer federation President Albert Lim advised people to cook their pork dishes well before eating it. 

Furthermore, he said authorities will make sure that the affected 6,000 pigs will be disposed properly and will not be sold in markets. 

The Bulacan provincial government, along with the Department of Agriculture, has set the culling of the affected pigs tomorrow in accordance with acceptable standards of disposing animals. 

Lim said the incident in Pandi will not even raise market prices because the affected hogs represents a very a small percentage as compared to the total hog population.  

Based on their Php 108 farm gate prices, Lim estimated that pork retail prices should not go beyond Php 170 per kilogram.  

Meanwhile, authorities are keeping a close watch on 31 farm hands that were infected with the Ebola Reston Virus. 

Experts are puzzled on how the virus was transmitted from the affected pigs to the workers who appeared healthy and without signs of sickness. 

Ebola Reston Virus is known to be non-pathogenic to humans.


Ligtas kainin ang baboy, tiniyak ng mga hog raiser

Pwede pa ring mag-litson, mag-adobo o mag-sinigang na baboy.

Ito ang ginawang pagtiyak ng National Federation of Hog Farmers in the Philippines kasabay pagsasabing kontrolado ng pamahalaan ang Ebola Reston Virus sa iisang babuyan sa Pandi, Bulacan.

Upang mapakalma ang mga nag-aalalang consumers, pinayuhan ni hog federation president Albert Lim na lutuin mabuti ang kanilang ulam na baboy bago kainin. 

Bukod pa rito, sinabi ni Lim na tiniyak ng mga awtoridad na ang may anim na libong baboy na apektado ng Ebola Reston Virus ay hindi makakarating sa mga palengke.

 Itinakda ng pamahalaang panglalawigan ng Bulacan, kasama ang Department of Agriculture, ngayong biernes ang pagpatay sa mga apektadong baboy alinsunod sa mga pamantayan ng pagliligpit ng mga hayop. 

Ani Lim, ang insidente sa Pandi ay hindi sapat para itaas ang presyo ng baboy sa palengke dahil napakaliit lamang ng bilang ng mga ito kumpara sa kabuuong bilang ng mga baboy sa buong bansa.  

Batay sa kanilang Php 108 farm gate prices, tinaya ni Lim na ang retail price ng baboy ay hindi dapat lumagpas ng Php 170 kada kilo.

Samantala, mahigpit na binabantayan naman ng mga awtoridad ang kalagayan ng 31 manggagawa ng babuyan na nahawaan ng Ebola Reston Virus. 

Palaisipan pa rin sa mga eksperto kung paano nailipat ang virus sa mga manggawa mula sa mga baboy.

Hanggang ngayon ay walang nakikitang sintomas ng karamdaman sa mga manggagawa.

Ang Ebola Reston Virus ay hindi nakakapagdulot ng sakit sa mga tao. #


3 big projects in NLAQ Super Region for completion end of 2009 or early 2010 - Yap 

Dagupan City, Feb. 26 (PNA) - Three big projects in the Northwest Luzon Growth Quadrangle (NLAQ) Super Region worth billions of pesos, are set for completion by the end of 2009 or early 2010, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said. 

Speaking to newsmen in Dagupan City on Wednesday night, Yap said these include the Agno River Integrated Irrigation Project (ARIIP) in Pangasinan, Halsema Highway from Baguio to Mountain Province and Tabuk-Tinglayan Road in Kalinga. 

Yap, who was designated development czar for NLAQ, said slowly, these projects are now being completed. 

NLAQ covers the whole of Ilocos Region, Cordillera, Region 2 and part of Region 3. 

Yap explained that the Alaminos Airport was not included in the medium-term plan for NLAQ but it remains a part of the priority programs of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. 

He, however, is in quandary if the Alaminos Airport is included in the 2009 budget and if not, he said it will surely be included in the 2010 budget. 

But Yap expressed confidence that for year 2009, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has allocated a start-up budget. 

He recalled that when he was Presidential Management Staff in 2006, he was the one who included the project in the list of priorities of President Arroyo. 

NLAQ is expected to produce food for the other four Super Regions, particularly the Metro Manila Beltway, including Southern China.


PGMA urges vice mayors to work closely with national government to soften impact of crisis

Cagayan de Oro City (PND) - Citing the critical role local officials play in building up the economy, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today urged the country's vice mayors to work hand-in-hand with the national government to soften the impact of the global crisis on the Philippines.

Addressing the 18th National Convention of the Vice Mayors League of the Philippines held at the Pryce Plaza Hotel here, the President said that while the country has been able to weather the global financial turmoil thus far, "it is not the time for laying back but rather to step up to the challenge and work hard to ensure the nation’s bright economic future.

"Let us work together to ensure that our nation's finite though larger resources are able to meet the objective of improving the lives of the people of your constituencies and the entire Philippines, " the President said.

Pointing out that success can only be achieved through real team effort, the Chief Executive said that the national government will always do its part in protecting the interests of the people especially during these trying economic times, while relying on the local governments to step up and seize the opportunities that her administration has created.

"Working together, we have created a better deal, if you will, than many countries in the region, which have not yet devolved power to the local governments," she said.

Likewise, the President asked the vice mayors to continue investing more of their municipal revenues in the future of local government units (LGUs).

"The sum total of all that is the nation's future," she said.

The President said the various programs of the government have successfully bore fruit through the support of the local officials.

"The local governments have helped build our economy's reputation as an island of stability' in an otherwise stormy global sea of economic troubles. You have played a crucial part in the country's impressive growth," she said.

The President also urged the local officials to spend their internal revenue allotment (IRA) wisely.

At present, she said, the local governments are enjoying the biggest increase of their IRA -- P40-billion in all, owing to the three-year lag in the computation of the LGUs' share of the Expanded Valued Added Tax (VAT) from 2006.

"The IRA is your primary tool to serve your constituencies. Used it correctly, it will go a long way towards ensuring that our people will get the kind of local government they want," she said.

The President thanked the local government officials for their full support for her administration, saying "your commitment to the economy of your constituencies and to the economy of the Philippines will continue to pay dividends for many years to come."


CAMANAVA flood control project President Arroyo's legacy to Malabon residents, says city exec

Malabon City Waste Management Committee (MCWMC) chair and anti-flooding advocate Gloria Tamayo said the completion this year of the Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela (CAMANAVA) flood control program would be a major legacy of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to residents of this areas.  

The project is being pursued under the Luzon Urban Beltway program that is included in the President's Super Regions scheme.
  
Tamayo said completion of the CAMANAVA flood control program will give much needed relief to the residents, particularly in Malabon, who are perennially saddled by the almost daily occurrence of flooding in their areas. 

Likewise, Tamayo said the immediate completion of the almost P10-billion CAMANAVA flood control project could spark an economic renaissance in the coastal city of Malabon that is home to almost 340,000 people. 

She told the Philippines News Agency in a telephone interview that real estate investors and property developers are now starting to train their sights on Malabon after learning that the CAMANAVA flood control project is just months away from completion. 

The MCWMC chair noted that a property development corporation is now in the midst of constructing a condominium style dwelling in Malabon’s Barangays (villages) Concepcion and Catmon in the Governor Pascual Avenue district. 

Tamayo said the realtor decided to go ahead with his development project after learning of the CAMANAVA flood control project's impending completion and anti-flooding programs being undertaken by Malabon Mayor Canuto Tito Oreta which includes elevation of city roads prone to flooding, declogging of drainage pipes and canals and continuous modernization of existing anti-flooding infrastructures as well as construction of new facilities to combat flooding in the city’s 21 barangays. 

If a realtor would throw in millions of pesos in condominium projects on word that the CAMANAVA flood control project is just months away from completion, just imagine the economic stimulus of fully completed and operational anti-flood project would be, Tamayo said. 

She said that investors and businessmen traditionally look on Malabon to set up their investments as the city is near major and commercial centers like Makati and Quezon City and Port Area, Manila but were stymied from setting up their businesses due to the almost daily occurrence of flooding in the area caused by the fact that a major portion of the city is situated almost two meters below sea level and surrounded by tidal bodies of water like the Tullahan, Malabon and Manila Bay. 

Tamayo lauded President Arroyo and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the CAMANAVA flood control project that is poised to end the flooding problems which have affected generations of Malabon City residents. 

Completion of this vital anti-flooding program means so much to us Malabon residents who for generations have suffered much from flooding, she further pointed out. 

Malabon public information chief Bong Padua concurred with the observation of the MCWMC chair Tamayo. 

If CAMANAVA control project would be completed anytime this year, and flooding equation, totally eliminated, investors from the banking, financial, construction and property development sector would be more than willing to invest and create jobs in Malabon, Padua added. 

We are hoping that the national government and DPWH would soon complete the remaining 12 percent of the project so that Mayor Oreta could finally tell investors that we had the flooding problem licked here, he further said. 

Padua made the remark after recalling Oreta’s strenuous efforts in trying to convince big businessmen only to be balked by the latter on the flooding problem. 

They (investors) would tell Mayor Oreta to get back to them when he had the flooding problem solved. If the CAMANAVA flood control project would only get on-line or operational anytime this year, we would be more than willing to go back and tell, the Malabon public information chief further said. 

He also said that completion of this vital anti-flood infrastructure would also erase the almost traditional television scenes of Malabon residents having to wade through waist-deep flood just to get home to their families in the event of strong typhoons and heavy rains. 

It would be like putting a ghost to rest, Padua remarked. 

The CAMANAVA Flood Control and Drainage System Improvement Project is made up of strategically constructed pumping stations, floodgates and dikes to prevent flood waters from entering low lying areas. 

The project covers the 18.50 square kilometers of CAMANAVA’s flood-prone areas. 

The DPWH earlier said that the CAMANAVA Flood Control and Drainage System Improvement Project (CFCDSIP) is already 88 percent complete. 

It added that the remaining 12 percent of the project will soon begin operations. The unfinished portion will be funded by "local contractors." 

The CFCDSIP was initially funded through a grant from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Special Yen Loan Package in 2000. (PNA) 


Subic’s New Container Terminal-1 begins to spur growth in Luzon

Subic’s New Container Terminal-1 (NCT-1) is beginning to spur growth among industries in Luzon that need to widen their reach in the global market. 

Already, actual collections by the Subic seaport in 2008 reached P276.24 million, which is 21 percent higher than the P228.21-million target for 2008, according to retired Captain Perfecto Pascual, who heads the Seaport Department of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA). 

He noted that since NCT-1 started its operations in April 2008, it has tremendously contributed to the revenue upsurge, as the facility rakes in some P4.3 million into the SBMA Seaport’s coffers monthly. 

Pascual noted that updating of shipping fees being collected in the Port of Subic likewise helped, along with the decision of the SBMA to modify its policy on vessel and cargo charges, including those levied on the Philippine Coastal Corp, whose exemption from paying said fees was cancelled in the fourth quarter of 2007. 

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said NCT-1, which comprises the first phase of Subic’s $ 215-million port development project under the Super Regions program of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, has a cargo-handling capacity of 300,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) and is now primed to position Subic Bay as the new maritime logistics center of the Philippines. 

Now that the infrastructure are in place, it would be easier to attract foreign investments and boost local trade at the same time, he added. 

The NCT-1, which is now being operated by the Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC), has already unloaded shipment deliveries from the port of Kaoshiung in Taiwan. 

The commercial operation of the NCT-1 boosts Subic’s bid to attract more investments and become a major catalyst in propelling economic growth in the country. 

SBITC vice chairman Francisco Delgado III said, Subic is now fully-equipped to attract, foster and support industries, and it is a key to an industrialized Philippines. 

NCT-1 will provide the global link needed by industries in the Central and Northern Luzon growth corridor, he added. 

Pascual said despite the global economic downturn, the SBMA Seaport expects a revenue of P316.3 million this year, compared to actual revenue collections of P276.24 million in 2008. 

The slowdown in the shipping industry, ironically, turns out good for the Port of Subic since shipping lines began to use Subic Bay as a place to lay by their vessels, he said. 

As of last count, 22 vessels are laid up in Subic Bay to wait out the recession. The SBMA Seaport earns about P6 million monthly from these idle ships, Pascual noted. 

Subic’s container port and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at the neighboring Clark Freeport are the key ingredients to government efforts in transforming the former Subic and Clark military bases into a globally-competitive service and logistics hub in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Subic’s port and Clark’s airport are now connected by the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, which plays a crucial role in facilitating the efficient transfer of raw materials, products and services between the two free ports and other industrial areas in Luzon. (PNA) 


Government to build over 2,000 kms of farm-to-market roads

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is building starting this week various farm-to-market roads (FMRs) spanning over 2,000 kilometers nationwide that will create an estimated 53,000 jobs as part of the Arroyo administration’s economic stimulus program designed to help Filipinos weather the global economic slowdown that is expected to worsen this year. 

DA Secretary Arthur Yap said that besides creating more jobs, the projects are also expected to benefit over 212,000 farmers in food-producing and hunger-prone areas across the country. 

President Arroyo ordered the DA and other agencies last January to frontload labor-intensive projects in line with her P330-billion economic resiliency program that is meant to stimulate the domestic economy and generate about 1.5 million jobs by midyear alone. 

Yap, who is the Cabinet coordinator for President Arroyo’s Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) in Northern Luzon and Bohol, said that more than half of the total length of these FMRs would be built in Central Philippines and the Mindanao Super Region, where major food production sites are located. 

The 567.60 kilometers of FMRs to be built in Central Philippines are expected to benefit 56,760 farmers and create 14,190 new jobs, while the 536.94 kilometers of roads in Mindanao will have 53,694 direct farmer-beneficiaries and require 13,424 workers. 

The North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle, where Yap has been designated by the President as its development champion, will have 420.80 kilometers of new FMRs that will benefit 42,080 farmers and generate 10,520 jobs while 366.80 kilometers of FMRs will be constructed in the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway, which include Central Luzon, to help 36,680 farmers and create 9,170 jobs. 

Another 230.80 kilometers of FMRs will be constructed in other priority areas identified by the DA, which will create 5,770 jobs and benefit 23,080 farmers. 

Yap said that in compliance with the provisions of the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) Program, these FMR projects worth a collective total of P5.3 billion will be located within Key Production Areas (KPA), marginal lands or new sites under convergence initiatives which link these areas to higher road class systems and major markets or trading posts. 

These FMRs will also be constructed in sites that link other non-convergence areas within the Strategic Agricultural and Fisheries Development Zones (SAFDZs), Community-Based Forest Management Agreements (CBFMAs), and Agrarian Reform Communities (ARCs) to markets and trading posts; and may be located within the areas identified by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) as very vulnerable areas, in line with the hunger mitigating measures of the government or within peace-conflicted areas. 

Yap had earlier ordered DA regional directors to immediately bid out its labor-intensive, high-impact projects in keeping with President Arroyo’s CLEEP. 

The plan, said Yap, is for the DA to speed up the implementation of these intervention projects in the first semester of the year to create a lot of jobs and stimulate economic activity in the countryside by the time the full brunt of the global financial crisis is expected to be felt in the Philippines.
 
He noted that expediting the bidding process would help speed up the release of funds for such projects, given that under government auditing rules, no disbursements can be made unless the bidding processes are completed and the winning bidders are named. 

Yap said the DA would closely monitor the implementation of its high-impact projects to ensure the judicious disbursement of funds particularly to its program partners in the private sector. 

He has already created 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 this year on hard or "big-ticket" projects covering irrigation maintenance, postharvest facilities, FMRs and rural extension work, in lieu of "soft" projects like fertilizer support to farmers. 

For instance, instead of the fertilizer discount coupons that the DA gave out in 2008 to farmer-beneficiaries in partnership with local government units (LGUs), the Department is providing organic fertilizer manufacturing support to farmers in 2,600 clusters or sites where the DA is channeling 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 of palay per hectare. (PNA)


Comelec to push for full computerization, called on legislators to pass supplemental budget in April

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) called on legislators to pass in April the supplemental budget for the 2010 elections. 

Comelec Chair Jose Melo said the poll body needs enough time to do pre-election preparations that include the bidding of the automated voting machines. 

The poll body proposed a Php11.302 billion supplemental budget on top of a Php5.3 billion allocation in the 2009 national budget. 

Out of the Php 11.302 billion, Php 9.960 billion will be used for purchasing automated poll machines. 

The Senate finance committee will support Comelec’s proposed supplemental budget without conditions.

However, the committee wanted to hold Comelec accountable in ensuring transparency in the requisition of the technology to be used in the elections and the choice of the service provider. 

At the House of the Representatives, a special piece of legislation is expected to be filed on Friday in support of the poll body’s proposed supplemental budget that has survived the second reading. 

This piece of legislation, to be crafted by a special house panel, would detail the manner of voting, mode of canvassing, and transmission of ballots.

The House is more inclined to support a mixed technology for the elections. 

However, Comelec would try to convince the House to go for full computerization to avoid an extra Php 2 Billion expenses and prevent opportunities for election results manipulation. #


COMELEC igigiit ang full computerization, nananawagan sa mga mambabatas na ipasa ang supplemental budget sa Abril

Nananawagan ang Commission on Elections (Comelec) sa Senado at Kamara de Representante na ipasa ngayong abril ang supplemental budget para sa Halalan sa 2010. 

Ayon kay Comelec Chair Jose Melo, kailangan nila ng sapat na panahon sa paghahanda sa election kabilang na rito ang pagsasagawa ng bidding para sa pagbili ng mga automated voting machine. 

Isinulong ng Comelec ang Php11.302 billion supplemental budget bilang pandagdag sa Php5.3 billion na pondo mula sa 2009 pambansang badyet. 

Mula sa Php 11.302 billion, Php 9.960 billion ang gagamitin para sa pagbili ng mga automated poll machine. 

Naiulat na susuportahan ng Senate finance committee ang panukalang supplemental budget ng Comelec nang walang kundisyon.

Gayumpaman, gusto ng kumite na tiyakin ng Comelec na magiging transparent ang pagpili ng teknolohiyang gagamitin sa halalan at ng kumpanyang magpapatakbo nito. 
Sa Kamara de Representante, isang espeyal na panukalang batas ang inaasahang maisasampa ngayong Biernes.

Ang nasabing panukalang batas, bubuuin ng isang espesyal na panel, ang magbibigay ng detalye sa paraan ng pagboto, anyo ng pagbibilang ng boto at transmission ng balota.

Sinasabing mas pinapoboran ng Kamara ang pinagsamang teknolohiya ng manual at ng computerization sa halalan. 

Gayumpaman, sisikapin ng Comelec na kumbinsihin ang Kamara na suportahan ang full computerization ng halalan para maiwasan hindi lang ang karagdagang gastos na maaring umabot ng Php 2 Billion kundi pati ang mga pagkakataon para mamaniobra ang resulta ng halalan. #


Displaced OFWs optimistic of brighter future

Cagayan del Oro City (PND) - Displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and other job seekers in the regions can look forward to a brighter future as the government intensifies its skills training assistance and provision of livelihood packages for them in the countryside.

In today’s job bridging skills event at SM City here, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo personally led in the delivery of livelihood and training assistance packages to retrenched OFWs from three regions in Mindanao.

For 40-year old Jocelyn D. Cabisan, who returned to the country after losing job as beautician in Dubai, this government initiative inspires and gives her a fresh resolve to start new life. A single mother with two children, she was among the 30 beneficiaries of a P50,000 livelihood assistance package for OFWs.

``I am very thankful to the President for helping us. This is really a big help for my family,`` Cabisan said, adding she will use the money to expand their small sari-sari store in Salay, Misamis Oriental. 

The Chief Executive awarded a total of 33 checks worth P2.7 million as livelihood assistance to OFWs from Mindanao. Of the 33, two checks worth P313,500 went to displaced OFWs from Lanao del Norte under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating mga Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) project.

Another check amounting to P573,000 was awarded to jobless residents from Lanao del Norte under the government’s Integrated Services for Livelihood Assistance for Marginalized Fisherfolks.

The 30 other checks worth P50,000 each, on the other hand, went to as many 
retrenched OFWs -- 10 from the Davao Region, 10 from Northern Mindanao Region and 10 from the Caraga Region.

Of the beneficiaries, however, Casiban`s future seems much brighter with a new job awaiting her now in Qatar.

``Its nice to hear that. Good luck to you,`` the Chief Executive told Casiban upon knowing she was re-hired as beautician in Qatar.

``I am truly grateful to our government, especially to you, Madam President,`` she said responded.

Under the government’s contingency plan for displaced OFWs, assistance primarily involves helping retrenched workers set up livelihood or income-generating projects or finding them another suitable employment locally or overseas.

Like Cabisan, Gelacio Cabanero and Alex Abragan are also among the lucky job applicants. Cabanero, 39, has been signed on as butcher in Alberta, Canada after undergoing TESDA skills training. He was among the first batch in the city who availed of the PGMA Scholarship Program.

``Congratulations and good luck in your new work,`` the President told Cabanero.

Abragan, on the other hand, was hired on the spot after he readily qualified for the skills specifications by First CPM PERT Manpower Recruitment. ``I am so happy I qualified for the position. Through the government’s training assistance, I was able to get a new job,`` Abragan jubilantly said.

A former security guard, Abragan, 36, will work as heavy equipment operator in Saudi Arabia starting next month. He has just completed his short course in heavy equipment operations at the Skills Mastery Institute here under the PGMA Scholarship Program.

Aside from livelihood assistance, the President likewise turned over a number of PGMA Scholarship Program vouchers to displaced OFWs who need retraining and skills upgrading to qualify for jobs available overseas.

President Arroyo also took time to observe the skills demonstrations in welding, scaffolding and heavy equipment operation. Some 15,000 job items awaited the more than 2,000 jobseekers who trooped to the one-day event here.


PGMA cites LGU efforts in creating investor-friendly environment 

Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur (PND) --- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today cited local government initiatives that helped create investor-friendly environment in their areas of jurisdiction and had significant impact on national economic development.

In a brief remark during her visit to and inspection of the P5.1-billion Sibulan Hydropower Project of Hedcor in Sta.Cruz, Davao del Sur, the President said the 4.2-megawatt hydropower facility is a private sector investment made partly in response to such local government initiatives.

The Chief Executive said the 42.5 MW Sibulan Hydropower Project of Hedcor, an Aboitiz Ventures Inc. subsidiary, will surely help create more jobs and spur development in Mindanao while ensuring the availability of clean and environment- friendly power.

"It is important that local government units create an investor-friendly environment to attract investments such as this," referring to the Sibulan Hydropower Project, the President stressed. 

President Arroyo has repeatedly and consistently stressed the need to attract investments as well as partner with the private sector in major development undertakings.
 
She thanked Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Cagas, Sibulan Mayor Joel Lopez and Presidential Legal Adviser Jesus Dureza for their efforts in making possible the construction of the Aboitiz hydropower plant that has so far benefited- some 80,000 residents in the area, including some 20,000 indigenous people -- the Bagobo-Tagabawa tribe. 

Since the project started a few years back, Hedcor had already built and repaired several farm-to-market roads and potable water systems, sponsored medical missions and provided educational assistance to the host communities here.

The company has likewise employed some 1,000 locals, including members of indigenous tribes. Its presence in the area has also generated various livelihood opportunities for the locals. 

Arnel Aninipot, a native farmer and father of four, is now employed by Hedcor as community relations officer. Jeorge Concepcion, who shares similar circumstances with Aninipot, said the construction of concrete roads by Hedcor has made him earn more because transporting his farm produce to the market is now much cheaper, easier and convenient.

Leaders of indigenous peoples (IPs) here said they look forward to more direct benefits from the Sibulan Hydropower Project when its starts operation because one percent of its royalty tax to the government will go to livelihood projects for IPs.

President Arroyo noted that with more investments pouring in, the lives of people in countryside communities will vastly improve.


Gov`t to hire 180,000 workers under 6-month emergency employment program

Manila (PND) - Malacanang has set the stage for the temporary employment of 180,000 Filipinos from the middle and middle-low income classes and the poorest of the poor as part of the government’s strategy to cushion the impact of the deepening global financial turmoil.

In Executive Order (EO) No. 738, which Malacanang released today, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stressed that the 180,000 workers to be hired for six months far exceed the number of job losses of 39,000 since last year as reported by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Under the EO, the President directed all Cabinet members to draw up and prepare emergency work programs, doable and fundable livelihood projects designed to benefit the vulnerable sectors of the population.

She ordered all government agencies to set aside 1.5 percent of their respective allocations for maintenance, overhead and operating expenses for the six-month emergency employment program.

The temporary employees may be assigned to conduct census, surveys, price monitoring and other activities earlier identified in the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Em0ployment Program (CLEEP), the President said.

Of the 180,000 jobs to be opened, 50,000 will be in Region lV-A and the Bicol provinces; 20,000 in Cebu, Mactan Economic Zones, Leyte and Samar; 20,000 in the Subic and Clark Economic Zones, Pampanga, Tarlac, Bataan and Zambales, and 5,000 in the CARAGA region. The remainder will be ``distributed among the other regions of the country, with priority for the 10 poorest provinces and the 1,000 poorest municipalities. ``

The emergency employment program also includes ``training with income support at half of minimum wage`` in in-demand skills for workers.

Priority will be given to displaced workers as follows: 20,000 female workers from Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon, Camarines provinces and Albay; 5,000 from Region III; 5,000 from Region VII; 5,000 from the CARAGA Region, and 50,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

The income support will provide for meals and transportation of the trainees. In another significant move, the President ordered the integration of the government’s livelihood programs into a one-stop shop under the Regional Livelihood Program Office.

At present these livelihood programs are implemented separately by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (ADTI), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Finance
(DOF), and Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs).

The President also directed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to provide opportunities for 250,000 workers over the six-month period.

On the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program, the President said, the coverage should be expanded to include the CARAGA and Cordillera regions to ``cover low/no income families and avoid the incidence of child labor, especially in manual mining-intensive areas.