Damascus – The Philippines has found another ally in promoting a broader interfaith dialogue as a powerful instrument to push and ensure durable peace worldwide.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo gained the support of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad during their bilateral talks on Monday at the Al Ashaab Palace here.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said President Arroyo pointed out to President Bashar that Syria plays a very important role in dialogues among civilizations and diverse cultural groups because Syria has been part of the early history of both the Christian and Islamic religions.
“She pointed out the fact that it was on the road to Damascus that St. Paul, the evangelist Paul, a former Roman soldier, was converted and became the preacher of the Gentiles,” Remonde said.
St. Paul and St. John the Baptist, whose remains are housed inside the famous Omayyad Mosque here, were both from Damascus.
“The President said Syria is a natural leader in interfaith dialogue which, as we all know, the Philippines is pushing. And of course, President Bashar is only too pleased to accept this,” Remonde said.
President Arroyo also invited Syria to attend the Special Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue for Cooperation, Peace and Development in Manila this year.
The Philippines is the leading proponent of interfaith dialogue and strongly promotes the same to bring peace and development in Mindanao.
In 2004, the UN General Assembly adopted the Philippines resolution on interfaith dialogue as another option in realizing durable peace.
Syria supports RP’s OIC observer status bid
Damascus – Syria has expressed willingness to support the pending Philippine bid for an observer status in the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said this was one of the positive outcomes when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, held their expanded bilateral meeting on Monday at the Al Ashaab Palace here.
“The President asked the support of Syria for the Philippines’ bid for observer status in the OIC and the Syrian government expressed willingness to lend support to it,” Remonde revealed.
Remonde said Syria committed to support the Philippine bid for observer status in the 57-member Muslim bloc and has invited Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo to attend the OIC Ministerial Meeting here scheduled on May 23-25.
The Philippines applied for an OIC observer seat in 2003 and hopes its application would be approved during the group’s ministerial meeting later this month. A committee of the bloc is presently finalizing the procedures and criteria for admitting new members.
By becoming an observer, the Philippines hopes to gain broader support from the OIC member-countries in finally bringing about lasting peace and meaningful development in Mindanao.
The OIC, through Malaysia, currently plays an important role in facilitating peace negotiations between the Philippine government and rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
RP, Syria sign three accords
Damascus – Syria and the Philippines signed on Monday three agreements that are expected to further strengthen and elevate to a higher level the bilateral relations between the two countries in various fronts.
The signing took place at the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs building here Monday evening (May 4, 2009) between Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and his Syrian counterpart, Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the agreements were on the establishment of bilateral consultations, cultural cooperation, and visa exemption for nationals of the countries holding official and diplomatic passports.
Remonde said the agreements were mutually agreed upon by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad during their bilateral talks on Monday morning.
“This will be followed up immediately by a bilateral consultation that will be held in Manila,” he said.
Remonde said the two leaders also agreed to immediately organize a joint Syrian-Filipino Business Council.
“That will be the forum for moving forward Philippine-Syrian economic relations,” Remonde said.
RP, Syrian officials to hold trade talks in Manila
Damascus – Philippine and Syrian officials will soon hold talks in Manila to come up with agreements that would promote investments and two-way trade between the two countries.
Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila said Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has expressed interest to have a stronger economic cooperation between the Philippines and Syria, during his bilateral talks here with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Monday (May 4, 2009).
“In fact, President Bashar had told President Arroyo he would like to see both countries to come up with some form of agreement,” Favila said.
Favila expressed optimism the meeting in Manila would further boost economic cooperation between the two countries.
At present, Favila said the Syrian government has identified the need to assemble several thousands of trucks and buses which the Philippines can take advantage of.
“The Philippines is very strong in the manufacture of vehicle parts and components which we can supply” (to Syria), as well as textiles and garments, Favila noted.
Favila said there is also a good possibility of providing Syria chemicals and pesticides for agriculture.
“Both leaders have agreed that we will hold bilateral talks among the various ministries to be hosted by Manila,” Favila said.
During their bilateral talks on Monday, the two leaders agreed to immediately organize a joint Syrian-Filipino Business Council that would be the forum for moving forward Philippine-Syrian economic relations.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Establishment of Bilateral Consultations was signed on Monday by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and his Syrian counterpart Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem to pursue this objective.
RP-Bahrain agribusiness project to create 20,000 jobs
The Philippines and Bahrain have begun discussions on a possible agribusiness project in Mindanao covering an initial area of 10,000 hectares that is expected to create some 20,000 jobs, officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said yesterday.
Ebrahim Hassan Mubarak Al Ameer of NEH and Ambassador Amable Aguiluz V, the chairman emeritus of the AMA Group, were present during the courtesy call to the President.
“This is an offshoot of President Arroyo’s visit last February 4 to Bahrain, where a memorandum of understanding to establish a general framework for agriculture and fisheries cooperation between the two countries was signed by DA Secretary Arthur Yap and Minister Fakhro,” Agbon said.
Agbon and Agriculture Undersecretary Berna Romulo Puyat represented the DA during the initial discussions with Bahraini officials on the project.
In a report to Yap, Agbon said that NEH has organized a technical working group to study which crops could be grown commercially in Davao under its proposed agribusiness project.
The group will submit its recommendations in 180 days from the start of its technical mission, which began last March 7, he said.
Among the crops being considered by the Bahraini group are banana, rice, corn, pineapple, coffee and sugar in commercial quantities.
“NEH has committed an initial area of 10,000 hectares for the first five years under the project, which will employ about 2,000 workers per hectare, or a total of 20,000 jobs for the entire project,” Agbon said. “Another 100,000 people, representing the families of the workers, will benefit from this venture.”
He said NEH and its Philippine partner AMA would provide “social infrastructure support” to the area covered by the project, such as schools and medical facilities.
NEH, which has already invested in 2,500 hectares of land in Davao , had built schools and health clinics to benefit the families in the area. .
The PADCC, Agbon said, provided NEH-AMA with the list of public lands that could be considered for the project.
He said the crops to be harvested under this agribusiness venture would be sold locally and in Bahrain and other markets overseas.
Earlier, the Philippines and Bahrain had formed a joint committee to oversee the smooth and effective implementation of its MOU on agriculture and fisheries cooperation.
Under the MOU, Manila and Manama committed to reinforce bilateral cooperation in the areas of plant science, crop technology, vegetable and fruit preservation, biotechnology, post-harvest technology, livestock and fisheries, organic agriculture, aquaculture, coastal and deep-sea fishing management, irrigation and water resources, halal industry.
Both parties committed under this MOU to achieve greater cooperation in these areas through the following efforts:
1) Exchange of science or technical materials and information in agriculture and fisheries;
2) Exchange of professionals, scientists, technical experts and trainees;
3) Conduct of studies related to areas of mutual interest;
4) Organization of training workshops, seminars and conference in areas of mutual interest;
5) Conduct of promotional and facilitation activities including agricultural products, trade fairs and special exhibitions;
6) Cooperation in the areas of food and commercial sectors and food industries, technology transfer and innovation, implementation of activities related to trading in agricultural products through meetings, seminars, and other methods considered appropriate; and
7) Cooperation in other related areas to be identified and agreed upon by the countries, such as sanitary and phytosanitary measures relating to the import or export of agricultural and fisheries products.
Bello defends PGMA’s foreign trips
Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III defended Tuesday the foreign trips of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo saying that “her travels to very strategic places are doing good to our country especially in terms of job placement, foreign investments and others.”
Opposition lawmakers called the President’s travel to distant countries as unnecessary government expense.
Bello said such trips are necessary “since the benefits outweigh the costs of such travels.”
In her visit to Dubai for instance, he said, the President was able to generate 200,000 jobs for overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East aside from attracting investments into our country.
Bello said: “We respect the views of the opposition. But the President knows what she is doing. And she knows that traveling to some very strategic places is good for our country especially in terms of job placement, foreign investments and so on.”
“With due respect to the opposition senators or congressmen, the President will continue to pursue her activities because she knows that what she is doing is good for the country and for our people,” Bello said.
Palace welcomes suits from lawyers against govt agencies violating environmental laws
Malacanang said Tuesday it welcomes the plan of a group of lawyers to file suits against government agencies throughout the country for violating environmental laws
Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III said “in my statements several briefings ago, I said I always considered the word of a lawyer as gospel.”
“If they (lawyers) have any reason or legal basis to go against these government officials, then we welcome their moves,” he said.
Bello said that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who devotes all her Fridays to environmental concerns, is by now known as an environmentalist.
“I am sure that she would react the same way and welcome any act of lawyers who feel that the law has been transgressed,” Bello said.
Use of “green water” technology boosts shrimp farming
Spearheaded by Dr. Jesse D. Ronquillo of the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology and Prof. Valeriano L. Corre, Jr. of the Institute of Aqualculture (IA), College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas, the biotechnology effort on the green water technology was started in 1999.
Different solutions have been identified to control the outbreak of the luminous bacteria in the prawn grow-out ponds.
Chlorination has long been used a means of reducing pathogens in the water but it was proven to have a short-term effect and rapid repopulation of seawater occurred upon dechlorination.
Another identified method of controlling diseases in the water was the use of vaccines and antibiotics. However, vaccines are not available for most diseases in aquaculture and the use of antibiotics is rather controversial due to the effects these could have when consumed by humans.
Since the completion of Dr. Ronquillo and Prof. Corre’s project in 2002, shrimp production has been enhanced due to the development of a farmer-friendly technology.
Among the methods of combating aquaculture diseases, the use of green water technology was proven to be the most functional. Through this technique, pathogen growth can be inhibited, water quality can be improved and the immune system of the cultured species can be stimulated.
The green water technology is funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research through its biotechnology R&D program.
