PGMA in Hanoi for ASEAN Summit; pushes for connectivity, care of migrant workers
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo left at 10:45 am on Thursday for
The President and a lean delegation that included Trade and Industry Secretary Jesli Lapus, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, and Press Secretary Crispulo Icban, Jr. boarded a Philippine Airlines flight at the Ninoy Aqunio International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2.
In her departure statement, the President said that she will seek the support of ASEAN to take a collective action in urging developed countries to take aggressive actions to mitigate climate change.
“Our country only knows too well the effects of climate change and I will seek the support of the ASEAN to speak with one voice in urging developed countries to take actions to address the effects of climate change,” the President said in her departure statement.
The President will also reiterate her call during the 15th ASEAN Summit in
“The nautical highway will spur economic growth and tourism information and communications technology that will be crucial in developing our connectivity in ASEAN,” the statement added.
The President will also urge ASEAN to continue to cooperate in restoring the health of the regional financial system and to fulfill its plan to create a single market and production base by 2015.
The President noted that since the Philippines is a strong labor- exporting country, she will urge ASEAN to implement the ASEAN Declaration on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers which was signed at the 12th ASEAN Summit held in Cebu City in January 2007.
The President is also expected to reiterate the
The two-day annual summit has for its theme, “Towards the ASEAN community: From vision into action.”
The 10 ASEAN member countries are
The President is expected back in
PGMA to hold bilateral talks with Malaysia,
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will hold bilateral meetings on Thursday with Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at the sidelines of the 16th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
President Arroyo and Prime Minister Najib will discuss the progress of peace talks in Mindanao, where
The IMT provides an international presence to the ceasefire monitoring, and is respected by both sides as well as by civil society in the quest for lasting peace in southern
The two leaders will also discuss enhancement of security cooperation as well as opportunities to further Philippines-Malaysia economic collaboration.
In her bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Dung, the President will discuss the state of Philippine-Vietnam relations, which have become increasingly vibrant in recent years, particularly in relation to economic and political cooperation.
PGMA creates team to monitor reconstruction work for typhoon victims
A Reconstruction Monitoring and Evaluation Team (RMET) will be set up under the Special National Public Reconstruction Commission (SNPRC).
Under Executive Order No. 870 signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo last March 16, the RMET will implement the newly established Reconstruction and Monitoring Evaluation System (RMES) which will:
--“Provide a comprehensive system for monitoring the funding, expenditure, and progress of reconstruction programs and projects, including performance and results;
--“Involve program/project stakeholders, including government implementing agencies at the national and local government level, non-governmental organizations, private sector companies, funding agencies, beneficiary communities and sectors, and other interested groups;
--“Regularly report performance and results to the President, stakeholders, and the general public; and
--“Provide a listening post to receive and address complaints. “
Funding for the RMET will be sourced by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) from the General Appropriations Fact and/or external donations raised by SNPRC.
SNPRC, which is the government clearing house for international aid for victims of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, mostly in
SNPRC is chaired by Finance Secretary Margarito Teves while its private sector partner, the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF), is chaired by PLDT Group chairman Manuel Pangilinan.
The SNPRC Secretariat is headed by Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo.
To date, SNPRC/PDRF has raised an estimated $5 billion.
ILO and FAO joint project brings new hope for poor Bondoc Peninsula folks
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations have jointly designed a new project to improve the lives of poor residents of Bondoc Peninsula.
The project, officially dubbed as Inter-agency Programme to Nurture Peace, Security and Decent Work through Local Development in Conflict Areas of the
Protection and empowerment of the
Ms Linda Wirth, Director of the ILO Subregional Office based in
Meanwhile, FAO Representative to the
A total of at least 3,500 women and men are expected to benefit from assistance for agricultural and fisheries production improvement and management. This includes proper seed production and storage; integrated farming systems; organic farming; integrated pests management; improved poultry and livestock production; proper harvest and post-harvest practices and support to sustainable fishing methodologies. Another 2,500 individuals will be given complementary off-farm livelihood assistance, market linkage support and entrepreneurial and technical vocational skills training. Furthermore, the project also targets 2,000 mothers and children from the four municipalities to benefit from better health services through improved maternal and child care programmes. Community-based disaster risk management and social protection schemes, as an added feature, will be weaved into the project to enhance the adaptive and coping capacities of the beneficiaries vis-a-vis climate change and foreseen day to day socio-economic shocks at the household level.
Mulanay Municipal Mayor Prudencio Maxino expressed his gratitude to ILO and FAO for choosing
The Japanese government provides the amount of US$2.5M for the project via the UN Trust Fund for Human Security. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) is also a major partner since the project complements the national government's peace building agenda and agrarian reform efforts in
PNAC to hold 2010 national HIV summit
With increasing cases of HIV seen and reported especially in the last three years in the
“It is very timely and appropriate that we hold a one-day National HIV Summit in order to inform leaders on the current state of HIV in the
The said National HIV Summit, to be held on April 12 at the Manila Diamond Hotel, aims for a wide multi-sectoral representation from civil society, national and local government, private businesses, faith-based groups, development partners, academe, and media. It will present an intensified National HIV Program and come up with a national coordinated response on how everyone can work together to prevent the further spread of HIV and AIDS.
Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Austere Panadero will present a framework of the response, coverage of programmes, gaps in coverage, financing and fulfillment of provisions in R.A. 8504, otherwise known as the ‘Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998.’ On the other hand, Department of Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary Alicia Bala will discuss the Agenda for a Scaled-Up National Response, which shall lay down key actions and intended results for a national response including how much to mobilize for highest impact. A multisectoral workshop will also be facilitated by seasoned Consultant for development Mr. Mario Taguiwalo in the afternoon.
Cabral stressed that the
Also, to promote a deeper appreciation of the HIV situation by attendees, poster exhibits shall be conducted side by side with the
Other program highlights include a presentation of the national state of HIV and AIDS and the projected increase of the HIV burden by National Epidemiology Center Director Dr. Eric Tayag and a presentation by the Deputy Director of Disease Control and Head of the AIDS/STD Section of the Ministry of Health, Malaysia – Dr. Sha’ari Bin Ngadiman on the strategies in addressing the epidemic as implemented by neighbor countries.
The
106 electric coops gather in Tagaytay for annual conference
The National Electrification Administration (NEA) and 106 electric cooperatives in the country will gather at the Taal Vista Hotel in
“We welcome the 728 officials, employees and board directors of the ECs nationwide. We congratulate them for exerting all efforts in giving the best possible electric service to their member-consumers. This three-day conference, with the theme, ‘Powering excellence….. with a heart’, aims to learn from business the best practices to upgrade the EC services; exchange ideas on developing and sustaining brand management; enhance member-consumer involvement; and strengthen strategic alliances with ECs and other stakeholders”, said Administrator Edita S. Bueno.
She will report on the Balanced Scorecard, the management tool that measures performance with the participation of the ECs as strategic alliances and reinforced by the Multi-Sectoral Governance Coalition. To date, NEA is Performance Governance System-Proficient and is working towards the last level of the PGS which is PGS-Institutionalized.
On the topic of “Managing and Sustaining Brands”, corporations such as Meralco, Landbank and Max’s will share how they built their niche in the market, how they were able to generate brand loyalty with service and trust in their products and how they maintain and gain market leadership and survival.
There is a need today for the energy sector to bring together their acts to address the looming power crisis, especially on the supply side. The ECs must be knowledgeable on the status of programs and their impacts in the lives of the consuming public. Their survival for rural development is at stake. Hence, the NEA has invited the who’s who in the Energy Family to speak on the subject matter of “Towards an Integrated Energy Sector”. These include Philippine Electricity Market President Melinda Ocampo, National Power Corporation President Froilan Tampinco, Energy Regulatory Commission Chairperson Director Zenaida Cruz Ducut and Director Floresinda Baldo, and Department of Energy Director Mylene Capongcol.
To showcase the financial options available for the ECs from local and international institutions, the subject on “Financing Options for ECs” will be discussed by LGU Guarantee Corporation’s Lydia Orial, Asian Development Bank’s Yongping Zhai, Development Bank of the Philippine’s Rustico Nolie Cruz and
Since brand loyalty can only be sustained if consumers themselves are involved in strategic decision making, topics such as “What is customer satisfaction?” and “”If given the choice, would they opt to remain with the institution which provided them value-added benefits and relationships?” must be included in the equation. Along this line, Secretary Francisco G. Silva, Presidential Adviser on Rural Electrification (PARE) and Electric Consumers Advocacy of the Philippines (ECAP) President Edicio Dela Torre will act as speakers during the panel discussion on “Enhancing Consumer Involvement”. Likewise, a recognition and affirmation program on “Multi-Sectoral Governance Coalition” (MSGC) and an interaction with the NEA Board of Administrators will be held to strengthen alliances with stakeholders who provide invaluable initiatives in support of the NEA Scorecard on the Performance Governance System.
DOE assures stable power in
The Department of Energy (DOE) today said it has drawn up a three-pronged contingency plan that will ensure full and uninterrupted power supply in
In other parts of the country there are no anticipated power supply shortfalls that could affect the conduct of the elections, the DOE added.
The DOE’s Mindanao plan involves the commissioning or embedding of outsourced generator sets to augment the existing capacities of local plants by about 100 megawatts; a “deloading” program among industries, malls and other big commercial facilities in the region; and the gradual raising of water levels in Lanao dams to supply enough hydropower for the three-day period.
Acting Energy Secretary Jose Ibazeta said in a report to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that “firing up” two power plants in
He said that arrangements will be made with industrial and commercial establishments to lower their consumption during the election days, which fortunately, Ibazeta said, are non-working days.
Ibazeta added that gradual stocking of waters in the Lanao dams will be paced leading to the critical election days.
The new DOE chief allayed fears of a failure of elections in
Ibazeta said beyond the short-term May election contingency plan, his agency has been discussing with stakeholders medium and long-term solutions to the power crisis in
Ibazeta stressed, however, the need to create a mix of power generating industries to ensure the long-term solution to the crisis.
He said that aside from hydro-electricity, the main supplier of power in
“
He said government must have the plan to enhance the “attractiveness” of the region for foreign investors to pour in their business.
“What we have to do in the long-term really is to make it attractive for foreign investors to come in so we are looking, in discussions with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the appropriate rate of returns that would entice investors,” Ibazeta said. (OPS)
