PGMA to grace Sta. Rita Duman Festival
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will attend tomorrow, Saturday, the Duman Festival, which was revived eight years ago by residents of Sta. Rita, in the second district of Pampanga.
Duman is green rice (somewhat like pinipig) made from lacatan malutu, a red-husked glutinous rice variety that is planted before start of the the cold season and harvested before Christmastime. The sweet-tasting duman fetches anywhere from P3,000 to P4,000 per kilo.
The president is expected to arrive at the
The President will also watch the start of the two-hour duman show titled Duman, Suman at Miyayaliwang Capangan Capampangan by ArtiSta, Rita.”
Before the President arrives, there will be a parade of lyre bands of Sta. Rita Elementary School Lyre Band and the Becuran Elementary Lyre Band. Each participating lyre bands will be given plaques of appreciation. A short video presentation entitled “For the Love of Duman” will be shown to inform tourists and visitors of this tradition.
Duman is still produced the old way in Sta. Rita, which may have been in existence since the pre-Hispanic Capampangan society. Fray Diego Bergaño called this delicacy “el grano
Bergaño said other towns may have produced duman but it was in Sta. Rita where this delicacy endured.
The first Duman Festival was held in Barangay Sta. Monica.
PGMA inspects
Direct from three provinces of
The 40th in the world and the first in the
Earlier, Commission on Information Technology and Communication (CICT) Secretary Ray Anthony Roxas Chua, on behalf of President Arroyo, thanked IBM for investing in the
Roxas Chua said IIC will stimulate further growth of the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry and service science management engineering (SSMEs) community.
Meanwhile, Bruno Di Leo, general manager for IBM Growth Markets, noted that the number of the firms workers has risen from 300 in 2004 to 7,000 at present. He said the company has been doing business in the country for more than 70 years now.
“These beautiful islands are one of our longest standing markets in
The
“The global clients we serve include companies like Kraft, Sara Lee, and Bristol-Meyers, Di Leo said. “We are also a key player in the BPO sector.”
Among the IBM executives that attended the inauguration were James Velasquez, country manager of IBM Phils., and Jim Corgel, general manager of ISV (IBM Software Vendor) and Developer Relations, IBM Corp.
IBM investments in the Philippines are IBM Daksh (two customer relationship management (centers in Manila); IBM Business Services (a recruitment center in IBM Plaza and another office and delivery center in Quezon City); IBM Solutions Delivery (which will open two more office spaces at IBM Plaza), and the IBM Phils. (which opened a sales and distribution office at Asia Town IT Park in
Claudio resigns as Presidential Adviser; Pichay takes over
Secretary Gabriel Claudio has resigned as Presidential Political Adviser due to health reasons. The president has accepted his resignation effective tomorrow, Dec. 5.
In place of Claudio the president has designated former Rep. and current Local Water Utilities Administration president Prospero Pichay as adviser.
Claudio has undergone a complex spinal surgery in late 2007 to decompress impinged nerves and to address a recurring instability of the spine due to congenital scoliosis.
Claudio was advised by doctors to undergo renewed intensive physical rehabilitation, which was cut short by his return to his position as political adviser last year.
In a press statement today, Claudio clarified he is not quitting the ruling party, LAKAS-KAMPI CMD, where he now serves as a member of the National Advisory Council.
Claudio stressed he will continue to support the candidacy of former National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr., and all other national and local candidates of the administration coalition, “believing more passionately than ever that Gibo is the ablest and worthiest candidate for president in next year’s polls.”
Claudio said, “It is the firmness, experience, intelligence and sincerity of Gilbert Teodoro as a leader that makes him the kind of president our country needs.”
Claudio is credited with the formation and accreditation of LAKAS-KAMPI CMD as a merged political party as well as overseeing the selection and nomination process of its national and local candidates.
No pork, chicken shortage this X'mas season--Remonde
MANILA, Dec. 4 — Malacanang assured on Friday that there will be no shortage in the supply of pork and chicken during this holiday season.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, in his media briefing, said that the government, through the Department of Agriculture (DA), allowed the importation of pork and chicken and other agricultural products to stabilize their respective prices during the Christmas holidays.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will intensify its monitoring of prices of basic commodities and other agricultural products during the holidays.
Remonde said Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila also assured to him that the DTI will not hesitate to recommend to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo the imposition of price control if there will be run away of prices of basic commodities, especially this yuletide season.
He was optimistic the local supply of pork and chickens would stabilize with the imported products.
Meanwhile, Remonde also told reporters during the media briefing that President Arroyo was studying the possibility of giving extra Christmas bonus to government workers on top of the traditional bonuses.
”In principle, the President is looking into that now, we are studying that very closely with the Budget Department secretary. The President is going to give to our national government employees what can be given within the limits or the capability of the national treasury,” Remonde also said.
