PGMA leaves
A few hours upon her arrival at
On Thursday (April 15), the President starts the day with a bilateral meeting with Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero at the Palacio de Mancloa, the President’s official residence.
Afterwards, the President will also meet with King Juan Carlos I at the Palacio de la Zarzuela, the principal residence of the King and Queen of Spain, where they are expected to talk on the dynamic and special bilateral ties.
The President will also receive the International Don Quijote de la Mancha Award in the category of Institutional Contribution for her efforts to restore the teaching of Spanish language in public schools in the
The Spanish King will host lunch for President Arroyo before she meets with Leche Pascual President Tomas Pascual Gomez Cuetara at the Ritz Hotel.
Leche Pascual is a Spanish dairy company planning to invest some six million euros in a yoghurt and soya drink plant in the
This is the President Arroyo’s third visit to
PGMA confers Sikatuna award on Sen. Lugar
Washington DC - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today (April 14 in Manila) conferred on Republican Senator Richard Lugar, the United States’ most senior senator and current chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Order of Sikatuna award with the rank of Datu (Gold Distinction) for promoting and strengthening US-Philippine relations.
The Order of Sikatuna is a prestigious Philippine government award given to diplomats, officials and nationals of foreign states who have rendered “conspicuous services in fostering, developing and strengthening relations between their country and the
Lugar, 78, from the state of
Many Filipinos recognize him for advancing Philippine advocacies and interests in American public and private circles.
Lugar is also well remembered for his role as the emissary of President Ronald Reagan with a mission to resolve a political crisis in the Philippines following the fraud-laden snap presidential elections in 1986 fought between then President Ferdinand E. Marcos and Corazon C. Aquino, widow of martyred Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr.
Lugar then headed a US team to look at the election results and was convinced that Aquino was the rightful winner. Marcos’ refusal to yield power eventually led to the l986 EDSA people power revolution that unseated him.
President Arroyo conferred the award during simple ceremony at the Fairmont Hotel where she was staying for the April 12-13 Nuclear Security Summit among 49 nations hosted by US President Barack Obama.
Before accepting the award, Lugar and President Arroyo talked briefly of the fateful leading to before the l986 revolt.
Arroyo thanked Lugar for his continuing support for Philippine defense and security aspirations, including the persistent Filipino lobby for more benefit legislations from the US Congress for Filipino World War II veterans.
Part of the Award citation, mentioned Lugar’s “ steadfast friendship with the Philippines and his determined advocacy for a strong Philippine-American alliance; for his principled and consistent support for Philippine freedom, which was invaluable in securing the return of democracy to the Philippines in 1986; for being a strong supporter of the cause of seeing justice and recognition for the Filipino Veterans of the Second World War; for being a leader in reducing the threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; for his advocacy for free trade with ASEAN; and for his commitment to the peace process in the Philippines and to the strengthening of Philippine defense capabilities, particularly in his capacity as former Chairman and now Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.”
PGMA bats for heightened global nuclear security
The Philippine leader cited Presidents Obama and Dmitry Medvedev of
“Mr. President, our duty at this Nuclear Security Summit is to realize that bad things can happen. The world remains a dangerous place,” President Arroyo said in an explanatory message to the just-concluded two-day gathering of 49 state leaders upon the invitation of US President Barack Obama.
“As leaders, we must not just talk responsibly, but act decisively,” President Arroyo stressed. She added that cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),in preparing and implementing nuclear security plans and ratifying the IAEA additional protocol would be “decisive action.”
Since the infamous 9/11 terrorist attack on
“We come together today in time of deep concern by all nations and all peoples who expect us to act to protect our people from letting nuclear weapons fall into the hands of individual committed to apocalyptic ideas,” the Chief Executive said.
President Arroyo informed the
An example of prevention, she said, is the proper security of all Category 1 and Category 2 radioactive sources in the Philippine National Research Institute (PNRI) and its licensees such as hospitals and industries.
An example of detection is the mega-ports initiative with the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) which, President Arroyo said, has equipped the
The President said that an example of response is the national radiological emergencies arising from malevolent acts involving radioactive materials.
She called on the IAEA to “maintain a balanced approach among its three pillars: science and technology, safety and security, and safeguards and verification.
A foolproof nuclear security arrangement, the President said, will require a wide range of actions, including the Additional Protocol of the Strengthened Safeguards System “which better enables the IAEA to verify whether a State is living up to its international commitments not to use nuclear programs for nuclear weapons purposes.”
PGMA feted for Coral Triangle efforts
WASHINGTON DC - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today (April 14 in Manila) received the ICCF Teddy Roosevelt International Conservation Award from a prestigious US group in recognition of her forefront efforts and advocacies in support of the Coral Triangle Initiative.
The Award was conferred during a brief but well-attended ceremony organized at Capitol Hill’s
The Coral Triangle is a marine region largely in the Pacific covering 76 percent of world marine species in the territories of the
In the vast coral region, President Arroyo has advocated and spearheaded a multi-nation effort to preserve and protect marine resources so as to ensure stable marine food resources while doing sustainable environmental protection.
With the Capitol Hill conferment of the Teddy Roosevelt award, President Arroyo joined three other world personalities who had received the ICCF honors namely: Rob Portman, director of the US Office of Management and Budget (1960); former British Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain (2007); and Prince Albert II of Monaco (2009).
A grouping of non-government groups worldwide with congressional members and donors in
Those who presented the award were Monique Barbut, a French and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Environmental Facility, an ICCF affiliate; Senator Ed Royce; and Carter Roberts, chief executive officer of the World Wide Fund (WWF).
The affair coincided with the declaration by the ICCF of 2010 as Year of Biodiversity.
In her acceptance message, President Arroyo said that as the leader of 85 million Filipinos spread over 7,100 islands, her first responsibility is to provide the people especially the poor with food and resources which she said can be done by harmonizing economic growth and the needs of healthy environment.
She said that in her Coral Triangle initiatives, she found a moral obligation to help preserve the beauty and bounty of nature for the next generation.
President Arroyo said the award, named after conservationist
Firefight erupts as troops pursue Abu Sayyaf bombers in Basilan
Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mohammad Dolorfino, Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) chief, said the firefight occurred around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in Barangay Tabiawan,
Dolorfino said the firefight ensued after the Marines troops spotted Abu Sayyaf bandit leader Furuji Indama and three of closed aides in the mangrove area of Barangay Tabiawan.
Dolorfino said the Abu Sayyaf bandits who were responsible for Tuesday's bomb attacks in
Dolorfino said Indama and his aides were about to be fetched by a bigger group comprising of at least 50 Abu Sayyaf bandits when they were spotted by the Marine troops.
“They (bigger group) were several hundred meters away from where Furuji's group was spotted by the troops,” Dolorfino said.
“Running firefight continues sporadically until this time as the troops continue to pursue the fleeing Abu Sayyaf bandits,” he said.
He disclosed that the bigger group was later sighted in Barangay Baluno and are being pursued by another group of Marine forces.
He said there is no immediate report yet about the on-going running firefight and pursuit operations.
DBP-funded Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center Inaugurated
Officials of state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the provincial government of Ilocos Norte recently inaugurated the Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center that will assist the booming tourism industry in the area.
Ilocos Norte Governor Michael Keon and DBP senior vice president Cresenciana Bundoc led the unveiling of the three-storey, 100-room hotel built through a P475-million loan assistance from the DBP. The hotel, which also features a single-storey banquet style convention center and a dormitory, is expected to boost the image of Ilocos Norte as a premier tourist destination and growth center in
DBP’s assistance to the project is in line with its thrust to promote community development by financing critical infrastructure such as housing, hospitals, hotels, and schools.
The hotel will provide first-class accommodations to tourists and business travelers in Ilocos Norte known for popular tourist attractions like the Paoay Church, Spanish colonial structures, and white sand beaches in the town of Pagudpud. The province is also considered as an ideal destination for tourists and businessmen from cities in the nearby
DA to host AFACI’s 1st General Assembly
The Department of Agriculture will host the 1st General Assembly of the Asian Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (AFACI) on April 15-16, 2010 in Summit Ridge Hotel,
Representatives from 12 member-countries will be joining AFACI’s 1st General Assembly to discuss their projects towards their objective of promoting sustainable agricultural green growth in the Asian region to eradicate poverty and contribute to economic development through the technological cooperation in the agriculture and food sector.
The member-countries are Bangladesh , Cambodia , Indonesia , Korea , Lao PDR, Mongolia , Nepal , Philippines , Sri Lanka , Thailand , Uzbekistan , and Vietnam.
One of the highlights of the event will be the awarding of check amounting to US$65,000, a grant from the Rural Development Administration of Korea to the Department of Agriculture- High Value Commercial Crops Program for the project, “Extension of Shelf-life and Enhancement of Fruit Quality Through the Development of Post harvest Techniques on Mango and other Tropical Fruits which aims to address the Philippine’s problem of exporting fresh mangoes to other countries. The said grant is a result of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Agricultural Scientific and Technical Cooperation signed by former Secretary Arthur C. Yap during the visit of President Gloria Arroyo in
The signing of an Agreement on the selection and implementation of pan-Asian projects (2), Regional Project (1), Country Projects (12), Training Program (1), and Workshop (1) will also be held during the General Assembly.
The MOU on the Establishment of AFACI was signed on November 3, 2009. The major activity plan of the AFACI involves international collaboration for the development of sustainable agriculture and food technology to deal with changes in the agricultural environment including global warming, technology transfer and development, capacity-building, and reduction of poverty and hunger.
After the signing of the MOU, AFACI encouraged the member-countries to submit project proposals on the categories of research and development, trainings to be conducted in the
Dairy goats arrive in Central Visayas
Goat milk production is expected to become another income earner for Central Visayas farmers with the recent arrival at the Ubay Stock Farm in Ubay, Bohol of 400 heads of Saanen and Anglo Nubian goats from
The newly arrived animals are part of the more than 1,000 heads that the NABCOR (or National Agribusiness Corporation) facilitated to purchase under the government’s Dairy Goat Development Program to be undertaken by the Department of Agriculture (DA). The 400 heads quarantined at Ubay Stock Farm will be apportioned in Regions 6,7, 8; and some areas in
According to DA RFU 7 Livestock Coordinator Joel Elumba, the goats are being quarantined at the Ubay Stock Farm to ensure that they are in perfect health and free of diseases before being distributed to farmers in the Visayas and
Saanen and Anglo Nubian goats are milking types of animals. Compared to our native goats, they can produce about two liters of milk daily, compared to native breeds which yield only about .7 liter every day.
Elumba said that initially, the imported animals will be used to improve the local herd for dairying purposes, through an animal loan scheme. First line beneficiaries of the program include existing commercial goat raisers who are preferably members of goats or sheep raisers' associations, and should have participated in project briefing and goat raising training. First line beneficiaries can avail a module consisting of nine does and one buck.
Succeeding beneficiaries shall receive the offspring of the imported animals. They may be existing or new commercial goat raisers, have their project in the identified dairy zones, and have attended the required seminars or trainings. They have the same requirements as the first line beneficiaries to be able to avail of the animal loan. (Merilyn P. Talagon/RAFID- 7)
Mga magsasaka ng Banga sa South Cotabato may alternatibong stratehiya sa pagharap ng El Nino
Sa kabila ng naranasang El Niño o tagtuyot, ang mga magsasaka na nagtatanim ng palay sa bayan ng Banga sa
Ito ay sa pamamagitan ng pagtatanim ng mais sa dating tinataniman ng palay. Ito ang tinatawag na Corn-after-Rice technology.
Ayon kay Banga Municipal Agricultural Officer Jerry Estrella, humigit- kumulang sa isanlibong ektarya ang kasalukuyang natataniman ngayon ng mais partikular sa Barrio 1, 2, 3, Cabuling, Cabudian at karatig lugar.
Umaabot sa mahigit limangdaang rainfed farms ang nataniman ng mais habang mahigit sa tatlong daang ektarya naman ang nataniman ng mais sa dating irrigated rice area.
At upang aktual na makita ang standing crops, inikot kahapon (April 12) ni Department of Agriculture -12 Regional Executive Director Tommy Ala ang corn areas kasama si South Cotabato Provincial Agricultural Officer Reynaldo Legaste at Regional Corn Coordinator Zaldy Boloron, kung saan masaya nilang nakita ang magandang pananim na mga mais.
Ayon kay Legaste, ang mga magsasaka ng Banga ay nagsimulang magtanim ng mais noong buwan ng Enero.
Naging bahgi ng paglibot ni Director Ala sa sakahan kahapon ang pakipagpulong sa mga opisyal ng Irrigator’s Association kung saan inalam nito ang mga issues at concern na kinakaharap ng mga magsasaka at ipinaliwanag din nito ang relabilitation assistance na maaaring itulong ng DA at ang mga hakbangin sakaling magkakaroon na naman ng El Niño sa susunod na taon.
Maliban sa pagtatanim ng mais sa dating rainfed areas iniulat din ni PA Legaste na upang magkaroon ng Alternative Livelihood ang ilang magsasaka sa probinsya, marami rin ang nagtanim ng water melon at gulay na matibay sa tagtuyot hindi lamang sa bayan ng Banga, Tantangan, Lake Sebu at iba pang bayan sa probinsya ng South Cotabato. (DA-RAFID 12)
