PIA Dispatch - Tuesday, September 8, 2009

PGMA explains her travel expenses

MANILA, Sept. 8 — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, for the first time, breaks her silence regarding her foreign travels from 2001 to 2009 on Tuesday and insisted that her office only used P187 million from the contingent fund.

President Arroyo said in her one-on-one interview with Ely Saludar of RMN-DZXL held at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in Quezon City, a total of P187 million were used by her office during her incumbency from 2001 to 2009 for the local and foreign travel.

”Tignan mo naman Ely kung paano ang magbyahe sa buong bansa, so hindi lang foreign travel ang pinaglalagyan ng budget na yan at ayon sa batas, puwedeng kunin ang budget sa line item ng travel, sa MOOE ng OP at contingent fund, lahat yan ayon sa batas at explicitly kasama diyan ang travel at kung pag-uusapan natin ang contingent fund, sa halos siyam na taon na ako ay Pangulo, ang kinuha naming sa contingent fund ay 187 million pesos, over nine years ito, ang average ay 20 million a year, ito ay fraction, ni kalahati sa kinuha ng ating mga predecessors[You know how to travel in different parts of the country, this is not only for the foreign travels where the budget goes and by law, we can get the budget from the line item of travel, from the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of the Office of the President and contingent fund, all of these were allowed under the law and explicitly including the travel and talking about contingent fund, in my 9 years in office as President, we only used P187 million from the contingent fund over nine years with an average of P20 million a year, in fraction, which is smaller compare to my predecessors]," Mrs Arroyo said.

"We must explain the importance of our local and foreign travels which is for the benefit of our economy, protection for our OFW’s, protection for our national security, trade opportunities and invite investors to put investments in the Philippines, " President Arroyo said.

President Arroyo also said that because of the global engagement, the country had 34 uninterrupted quarters of economic growth, which did not happened before her administration.


Fulfilling a vision: PGMA builds/improves 51,985 kms. of roads in RP

MANILA, Sept. 8 –- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) from 2001 up to the present provide and manage quality infrastructure facilities and services responsive to the needs of the Filipino people in the pursuit of national development objectives.

Thus, the DPWH, under the leadership of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo beginning 2001, has improved and built 51,985 kilometers of roads nationwide costing P177.791 billion.

At the same time, it constructed 238,851.29 linear meters of bridges all over the country.

The DPWH constructed different flood controls in the Philippines with a length of 8,912 with a cost of P32.001 billion.

Other infrastructure was undertaken by the department with a length of 77,230 with a total cost of P64.157 billion.

For school buildings (classrooms), the DPWH made a total of 40,645 with a total cost of P15.676 billion.

For farm to market roads, in tandem with the Department of Agriculture (DA), the DPWH completed 3,373.03 kilometers of roads with a total cost of P6.842 billion.

On the other hand, the Department finished 2,763,978 kilometers of roads together with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) with a total cost of P10.566 billion.

For 2001 up to June 30, 2009 the DPWH also made projects under the regular program totaling 9,942 with a total cost of P36.718 billion.

The number of flood control and drainage made under the regular program are in 2001, 1,336 projects; 2002, 396; 2003, 1,126; 2004, 2,171; 2005, 916; 2006, 1,013; 2007, 1,647; 2008, 1,329; and 2009, six.


Record 1.25-M Filipinos get free medical treatment in a day from PCSO

MANILA, Sept. 8 (PNA) -- The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) reported to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today that a record 1.25 million Filipinos were given free medical treatment in just one day.

The President was the guest of honor at the 75th anniversary celebration of the PCSO at its main office on E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon City this morning.

PCSO general manager Rosario Uriarte attributed the success of last Sunday’s “100 Percent in One Day” free feeding and medical and dental mission to the thousands of volunteers who trooped to medical mission sites nationwide.

Uriarte said thousands of doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and health workers from both the public and private sectors responded to the President’s call for volunteers.

In her call, the President said there is a pressing need for the private sector to join the government in the effort to cushion the impact of the financial crisis on the poor and the needy.

Uriarte said the 1.25 million figure represents only 60 percent of the one-day health services program accomplishment.

She told the President PCSO is still awaiting the reports from Western Visayas, Northern and Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and Bicol areas.

“I am very confident, Madam President, that the beneficiaries from your project may reach more than two million,” Uriarte said.

The beneficiaries in the one-day mission even surpassed the total number of patient/beneficiaries of the medical, dental and special missions under the Community Outreach Program of the PCSO from 1995-2008 recorded at 1,026,719. Eighty-three percent of these patients, or 851,254, were served in 2001 to 2008.

At the PCSO grounds, the President then conferred the President Medal of Merit on Uriarte for her outstanding service since she became vice chairman and general manager of the PCSO.

The President, assisted by Vice President Noli de Castro and PCSO Chairman Sergio Valencia, also distributed certificates of lot allocation (CELAs) to the 624 qualified employee-beneficiaries of the PCSO housing sites in Taytay, Rizal and Antipolo City.

The President also awarded three ambulances to Escalante City Mayor Melecio Yap; Bulacan 1st District Representative Ma. Victoria Alvarado; and Kalayaan, Laguna, Mayor Teodoro Adao Jr.


Superferry survivors appeal for more financial help from Aboitiz

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Sept. 8 -– Survivors of the Superferry 9 which sank on Sunday appealed to authorities for more assistance.

This, after they returned home with more grief after learning that their ordeal is only worth no more than P11,000.

Pastor Alejandro Montaño, who was among the initial group of survivors who arrived at the Makar Wharf here Monday evening, said they were informed by employees of Aboitiz Transport System (ATS) Corporation that they were entitled to a total indemnification of P11,000 and not P50,000 as cited earlier by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

“They told us that they’re not aware of the P50,000 financial assistance and they were only authorized to give us P11,000,” he said.

Montaño, a pastor of the Assembly of God church in Koronadal City, said Aboitiz employees made them sign a waiver to attest that they received P5,000 for food allowance and P6,000 as liability claim for their lost baggage.

The pastor was among the passengers of the MV Superferry 9 who were rescued after the ferry turned on its side and eventually sank early Sunday around 15 kilometers off the shores of Zamboanga del Norte province.

At least nine passengers of the ferry, which originated from this city and is bound for Iloilo and Manila, had been confirmed dead while the rest of the listed 958 passengers and crew members had been all rescued.

On Monday, Marina Administrator Ma. Elena Bautista was quoted by various news outlets as saying that under Aboitiz protection and indemnity cover, relatives of the deceased passengers will receive P200,000 while the survivors will receive P50,000 each.

She said Aboitiz officials assured them that they will reportedly comply with Marina regulations in handling the matter.

But in an interview over radio station Bombo Radyo in Koronadal City, Aboitiz Vice President for Safety and Security Jess Supan declared Tuesday morning that all surviving passengers of Superferry 9, which sank off the Zamboanga Peninsula early Sunday, will be receiving no more than P11,000 assistance.

“I am the (Aboitiz’s) authorized spokesperson when it comes to Superferry 9 concerns and I did not issue any pronouncement about releasing P50,000 to the survivors,” he said.

Supan said the P5,000 food allowance they released to the survivors was a company initiative while the P6,000 was reportedly based on the liability claim policy for lost baggage in compliance with Marina regulations.

He said the declaration regarding the baggage liability claim is printed at the back of the Superferry tickets that they issue to all passengers.

“On top of that we provided medical assistance to those with injuries, free hotel accommodation and food, change of clothes and ensured that we cover the cost of transportation back to their homes or their preferred destination,” Supan explained.

But he pointed out that other than the assistance he mentioned, the surviving passengers should no longer expect any additional assistance or cash claim.

“Kung naibigay na yan at nakarating na sila sa kanilang mga lugar ay yun na lang ho. Labis labis na yan sa isinasaad ng batas (If the assistance was already given to them and they already reached their destination, then that’s it. That’s more than enough of what was provided by the law),” Supan added.

However, Montaño, who was bound for Iloilo along with his nephew to attend the funeral of a relative when the ferry sank last Sunday, lamented that the P11,000 given by Aboitiz was not enough to compensate for their ordeal.

The pastor said that aside from his personal belongings and some goods he was supposed to bring to his relatives in Iloilo, he lost his laptop computer and some cash all worth around P80,000 from the incident.

“We almost got killed there and that’s just how they value them? Right now, I really don’t know what to do next, I’m still confused with the situation,” he said.


Comelec hails SC ruling on poll automation

MANILA, Sept. 8 -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) hailed on Tuesday the decision of the Supreme Court junking the petition filed by the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) for the nullification of the P7.2-billion project to automate the May 2010 elections.

Comelec Chairman Jose Melo said that with the ruling of the High Court, the poll body will continue implementing the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that will be used in next year’s polls.

The machines will be supplied by the consortium of Total Information Management Corp. (TIM)-Smartmatic, which was declared the winning bidder last July 10 by the Comelec.

Lawyer Harry Roque, representing the CCM, earlier asked the SC to stop the implementation of the multibillion-peso poll automation contract.

Among the reasons cited by the CCM were: the PCOS system "has not been tested" and that the "consortium or the joint venture is questionable."