PGMA lays capsule for P6.7-M Lubao water project
LUBAO, Pampanga -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo led the capsule-laying today for a water project that would benefit more than 1,800 residents in Barangay San Jose Gumi of this town.
The Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) will implement the construction of the P6.7-million San Jose Gumi Potable Water Supply System Project under the Tubig sa Kanayunan Program.
The project will start immediately and will be finished hopefully before the Christmas holidays. It includes a water well, pumping station facilities, elevated steel tank, and a pipe network.
Among those who assisted the President in the capsule laying were Lubao Mayor Dennis Pineda, Pampanga Rep. Anna York Bondoc, and Barangay San Jose Gumi Chairman Jose Pineda and Lubao Water District Regional Manager Evelina
LWUA Chairman Prospero Pichay was also on hand.
After the capsule laying, the President boarded a motor boat to inspect other projects in the town, which include the proposed Barangay Sta. Teresa road improvement project; the slope protection project in Barangay Bangcal Pugad, and the
PGMA to grace the 2009 ICT Summit in Pampanga
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will attend the Second National Information and Communication Technology Confederation of the Philippines Summit 2009 tomorrow at the
The President is expected to acknowledge the importance of information and communication technology (ICT) in the country’s economic development. ICT provides millions of jobs to Filipinos from constructing cell sites, manufacturing microchips, manning computer dependent industries, and working at business process outsourcing companies to small entrepreneurs operating cyber cafes and selling mobile phones and internet cards.
The summit is also in consonance with the President’s vision to make the
After attending the ICT summit, the President will motor to Porac to inspect the requested covered court at
The Chief Executive will then motor to Floridablanca to inspect a number of proposed government projects in various barangays such as the proposed upgrading of a service road with slope protection costing P500,000; the proposed concreting of a road costing P2.337 million in Barangay Basa; the proposed construction of a barangay covered court costing P3.5 million in Barangay Consuelo; and the proposed rehabilitation of slope protection in Barangay Maligaya costing P5 million.
The President will mediate a land titling problem between Barangays Nicolas and Mabical before inspecting a proposed barangay covered court worth P3.5-million.
Voters’ listing extension up to Comelec – Palace
The matter of extending the deadline for the registration of voters for next year’s elections is in the hands of the Commission on Elections, Malacanang said today.
“We can not interfere with the Comelec. It is an autonomous and independent Constitutional body that must decide on cases like extending the registration deadline,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in his regular Wednesday briefing today.
Ermita pointed out that the Executive branch cannot dictate on a Constitutional body on such matters. “Let us all respect the Comelec’s decision,” he said.
He said the Filipinos’ penchant to do things at the last minute has been considered in the President’s recent order extending the deadline (which lapsed last Oct. 31) for gun amnesty—with many still seeking for amnesty.
“This amnesty is very much like the deadline being sought for the voters’ registration” he added.
Gov't hopeful of reopening talks with MILF and communist rebels in December -- Abaya
The government is hopeful of reopening the stalled peace talks with Muslim and communist rebels in December, according to Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Annabelle T. Abaya.
“It would be a wonderful blessing to be able to give our people the gift of hope, the gift of peace this Christmas,” Abaya said upon formally assuming her new post Tuesday afternoon.
Peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) bogged down in 2005 after the United States and the European Union (EU) tagged the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the (CPP) and National Democratic Front (NDF), as a terrorist group.
On the other hand, peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) got stalled after the botched signing of the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) in August last year.
“God willing, we might reopen the peace talks in our two biggest negotiation fronts by December,” Abaya said.
She admitted that her new job, with only eight months remaining in the Arroyo administration, is gargantuan.
Be that as it may, “we must make quick but significant wins to the finish line,” Abaya said, adding that when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo “called me, her message was 'there is so much to do'. We must hit the ground running.”
She said the prospects for the resumption of formal peace talks are bright because “on the first day of my job, I was informed that the NDF is very open and hopeful” on the resumption of the peace process.
Abaya also said that on the second day of her work, Ambassador Rafael Seguis informed her that the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the MILF signed an agreement on the third of three confidence-building measures that ensures the protection of civilians in armed conflict areas in
Earlier, the government put in place the Suspension of Military Operations (SOMO) which was reciprocated by the MILF by implementing its own Suspension of Military Activities (SOMA).
Another agreement was the formation of the International Contact Group (ICG).
Meanwhile, Abaya spelled out the things she hopes to see happen in the next eight months:
--Reopening of formal peace talks with the MILF and CPP/NPA/NDF.
--Closure on the agreement with the Revolutionary Prolitarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng
--Review of the 1996 peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) through a joint proposal on measures and legislative agenda to strengthen the still to be implemented portions of the agreement.
--Greater coordination and integration between the negotiating panels and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).
Abaya also issued a series of directives to improve OPAPP’s operations, boost its innovation initiatives for peace, and create greater energy with its peace partners.
ECC awards benefits to call center agent for vocal cord nodule
The Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) recently granted compensation benefits to Marie Angeline Rodriguez, customer service representative of IBM Business Services Inc. in Libis,
Rodriguez has been working for IBM Business Services for more than two years where she takes calls from clients from the
When the call center agent developed hoarseness for several weeks, she consulted with the Mega Clinic where ailment was diagnosed as chronic laryngitis and vocal cord nodules. She was identified as a light cigarette smoker and an occasional alcoholic beverage drinker.
When she filed Employee’ Compensation claim at the Social Security System (SSS),the claim was denied because of the possibility that the risk of developing nodules on the vocal cords may have been increased by the employee’s cigarette smoking. Vocal cord nodule development is not an occupational disease.
On appeal, the ECC’s review of the case records found merit in Rodriguez’s claim and she was awarded temporary total disability (TTD) benefits under the Employees’ Compensation Program. The favorable decision of the ECC was anchored on the fact that Rodriguez’s employment as a call center representative required her to speak continuously for hours which may have caused dryness of her throat and eventually her development of vocal nodules. Her daily smoking three sticks of cigarettes would not be a major factor in the development of her ailment.
Medical studies have shown that people who use their voices a great deal, such as professional singers, teachers, auctioneers, lecturers and members of the clergy are prone to the same condition.
The ECC reversed the System’s decision and ordered the SSS to pay Rodriguez her EC temporary total disability benefits plus reimbursement of her medical expenses for her treatment.
EC claims for work- related sickness or injury resulting in disability or death are filed at the SSS for the private sector and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for the government sector.
