PGMA orders review of Palafox master plan
“Let’s look at it again. It was a masterplan for NCR during the Marcos administration but it was never implemented. Let’s see what we can do about it,” the President said during the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)-Cabinet meeting here this morning.
Thirty-two years ago, Palafox warned that relaxing control of urban development would have adverse consequences. The devastation wrought by typhoon “Ondoy” last Sept.26 proved him right.
In that study, Palafox singles out
The Palafox report submitted in July 1977 to then Public Works and Highways Minister Alfredo Juinio states that “development should be restricted by the application of controls in three major areas---the
The World Bank-funded land-use plan was finalized by Hong Kong-based consulting firm, Freeman Fox and Associates.
The report recommends that the government monitor the
The three-volume report also notes that “urban development is spreading into [these] areas which are, in their present state, unsuitable for development—either because they are low-lying and liable to flooding, or because development is without adequate facilities for the treatment and disposal of sewage [the norm in Manila] and so will continue to contribute to the severe pollution of areas, such as Laguna de Bay.”
PGMA distributes rice, vegetable seeds in Dagupan
DAGUPAN CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo distributed here on Tuesday hybrid rice and vegetable seeds to Pangasinan farmers whose crops were damaged by typhoon ''Pepeng.''
The President distributed an initial 882 bags of rice seeds out of the 24,000 bags required for 24,010 hectares of farmlands.
She also distributed 12 kilos of assorted vegetable seeds such as ampalaya, squash, eggplant, patola, upo, winged beans, sitao and singkamas for
The total cost of damage to agriculture in Pangasinan was pegged at P5.254 billion.
Some 60,259 hectares of the 97,209 hectares planted to rice were affected, with 24,010 hectares totally damaged. The total value of production loss on rice was pegged at P3.25 billion.
On corn, some 229 hectares of the 431 hectares planted were totally damaged. Total value production loss was pegged at P3.52 million.
Value of production loss on high value commercial crops was pegged at P1.04 billion. The livestock sector lost some P598,190 in production value.
Moreover, the fisheries sector here lost some P504.32 million in production value as some 6,658 hectares of fishponds were affected.
The province's irrigation system total value damages was pegged at P460 million.
The President also distributed an initial 100 sacks of NFA rice for the City of
PGMA orders retrieval of bodies in Benguet landslides
DAGUPAN CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered on Tuesday the immediate retrieval of the bodies still buried by landslides in Benguet.
The President made the order during the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)-Cabinet meeting held at the
''Rescue is as much a priority as relief,'' she added.
The President is now in
The evacuees are temporarily housed at the city astrodome.
Truckloads of relief goods were transported from the Malacanang Emergency Relief Center, where over 9,000 volunteers tirelessly pack the relief goodies consisting of rice, canned goods, noodles, bottled water, candles, and clothing, among others.
Earlier in the day, the President was in La Trinidad, Benguet, to distribute relief goods to typhoon victims.
She also condoled with and handed out P10,000 each to families who lost their loved ones.
Reports said many are still buried in landslides in Benguet.
PGMA creates Special National Public-Private Reconstruction Commission
DAGUPAN CITY, Oct. 13 -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo created on Monday a Special National Public-Private Reconstruction Commission to undertake a study of the causes, costs and actions to be taken in the wake of typhoons Ondoy, Pepeng and Frank, and to seek fresh aid to fund reconstruction.
The President made the announcement today during the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)-Cabinet meeting held at the
"I signed the executive order the other day," she said adding it has not yet been authorized for release by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita which explains why the E.O. still has no number.
The President said she issued the executive order because of the magnitude of the impact of the recent calamities that hit the country in the midst of the global financial crunch that also affected fiscal capacity.
The Commission was tasked to undertake a study on the causes, costs and actions to be taken in the wake of the three typhoons that caused enormous damage to the country.
It will also undertake the rehabilitation plan for wrecked infrastructure and other priorities; prioritize programs as well as oversee implementation of these programs.
The special commission that will be headed by a business leader will also raise funds, especially grants, to fund reconstruction.
It will also serve as a clearing house for international assistance implemented by donors themselves using the cluster approach.
Furthermore, the Commission was also tasked to request the United Nations and the World Bank to coordinate an international pledging session.
The Commission will have Finance Secretary Margarito Teves and a church leader as co-chairs with all department heads and business groups, representatives of Philippine and international non-government organizations as members.
Verzosa orders PNP-Western
Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa Tuesday directed PNP units in
Verzosa instructed Director Felizardo Serapio Jr., Director for Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao (DIPO-WM), to closely supervise and inspect the readiness of police regional and provincial offices in implementing the PNP's three-tiered defense system against terrorism.
The chief PNP issued these instructions to prevent possible terrorist actions by threat groups and extremist organizations, in the wake of the discovery of a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) in a public beach in Lamitan City, Basilan last Friday.
In a report to the PNP chief, Serapio said the IED has devastating potential.
“The suspects had placed the IED in the vicinity of the beach resort and aimed to harm a big number of people who were scheduled to hold community activities the following day on Saturday,” he said.
At 5:30 in the afternoon on Friday, joint police and military explosive ordinance and disposal (EOD) personnel from the Special Action Force, Basilan Police Provincial Office, Regional Mobile Group 9 and Philippine Marines, safely defused an IED placed inside a plastic box in Kalugusan Beach Resort located in Barangay Kalugusan,
The suspicious package was discovered by a beach vendor who immediately reported the incident to a nearby detachment of the Philippine Marines.
According to Serapio, the IED was made up of four 81 mortar shells, one 60mm mortar shell, four liters of ammonium nitrate, three kilos of two-inch concrete nails, a 12-volt motorcycle battery, improvised blasting caps and remote-activated car alarm switch.
Serapio said the timely discovery of the IED and its safe disposal averted what could have been another bloody tragedy.
The recovered IED was properly turned over to the EOD UnIt of the Zamboanga City Police Office.
An investigation is underway to identify the suspects behind the attempted bombing, Serapio said.
