PGMA wants relief caravans moved to storm path
SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said she wants the relief caravans moved to their intended destinations beginning tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct. 28) even before the new storm hits on Saturday or Sunday.
At the Cabinet and National Disaster Coordinating Council here, the President said “we must start pre-positioning our assets to Northern and
The President also directed that all relief efforts should be coursed through the newly formed National Private-Public Reconstruction Commission, which is chaired by PLDT Group Manuel Pangilinan.
She told Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, co-chairman of the Reconstruction Commission, to avail of aid programs from foreign governments such as AusAid of Australia, the Canadian Investment and Development Agency, and the US Agency for International Development.
The commission, she said, should secure grants from these aid agencies and the United Nations than ask for loans from the World Bank and foreign lending institutions.
Of the P23.5 billion damage in agriculture wrought by Ondoy and Pepeng, rice crops accounted for P19.7 billion. Thus, the National Food Authority’s buffer stock position has dropped to 60 days from 90 days,
The President said she wants the relief assets (boats and others) pre-positioned in vulnerable and low-lying areas to enable the government to move people to safer grounds at a moment’s notice.
According to the President she plans to inspect the relocation site in Rodriguez, Rizal with, Vice President Noli de Castro, chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.
De Castro had informed the President, the government would be ready to move the first 500 families to Rodriguez, Rizal, on November
PGMA holds Cabinet meeting at ally’s birthday
SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday broke tradition by holding her joint Cabinet and National Disaster Coordinating Council meeting at the residence of Rep. Aurelio Gonzales (3rd district), who is celebrating his birthday.
The President and her Cabinet members will brief the media at Gonzales’ old house, beside the new one where the Cabinet and NDCC meetings will be held.
Gonzales is a close ally who was handpicked by the President as head of Lakas-Kampi CMD party’s committee on overseas Filipino workers.
Local papers said that “Cong. Dong,” as Gonzales is called, is regarded by critics as the President’s third son owing to his closeness to the Chief Executive who is fully supportive of his various plans and programs for the district.
Gonzales is supporting 16,000 poor but deserving students from elementary to college and even out of school youth since assuming his post in 2007. Outside of education, his other projects are in agricultural infrastructure, livelihood, health and social projects.
With President Arroyo’s help, he was able to implement the massive rehabilitation plan for the lahar-devastated Bacolor province through Republic Act 9506, which the neophyte Gonzales authored last year.
Before the Cabinet meeting, the President inaugurated the P200-million 10-km Quezon road that straddles the 3rd and 4th districts. It is one of the major road infrastructure projects in the two districts under the Arroyo administration.
Later the President will attend the coronation of the Holy Rosary at the Sto. Domingo Parish in
After the Cabinet meeting, she motors to Sindalan to award the financial subsidies to around 1,500 high school and college scholars from Arayat, Sta. Ana,
Palace confident on oil firms’ sense of corporate responsibility
SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga -- Malacanang is confident oil companies will heed its appeal to roll back oil prices to the Oct. 15 levels in the wake of the national calamity wrought by typhoons of storms Ondoy, Pepeng and Ramil.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said in a briefing before the Cabinet meeting here that government is not alarmed or surprised at the warning issued by oil companies of possible shortage.
He said they were merely “shocked at the political will and determination of President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo to exercise the powers vested on her by the law.”
Oil firms had threatened to stop importing to replenish their stocks after using up their current inventory.
Remonde appealed to the oil companies’ sense of corporate social responsibility and take into consideration the welfare of the greater majority of the people.
“The government is not forgetting its commitment to ensure a deregulated environment for the oil sector under the Oil Deregulation Law,” Remonde stressed.
As to how long the government would maintain the state of calamity, Remonde said, it would depend on the studies and evaluations made by the National Disaster Coordinating Council and other concerned agencies.
From their recommendations, the President, could decide whether to lift the state of calamity.
Remonde was joined in the briefing by Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Press Undersecretary Anthony Golez and Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Gary Olivar.
PGMA inaugurates Quezon road in Pampanga
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday led the inauguration of the newly-rehabilitated
Together with Pampanga 4th District Representative Ana York Bondoc, Pampanga 3rd District Representative Aurelio Gonzales, Jr. and other officials, the Chief Executive made an inaugural drive thru of the Tulaoc-Sto.
The Quezon Road which transverses the towns of San Simon and Mexico also serves as an alternate route to the Manila North Road and the Gapan-Olongapo Roads, bypassing the City of San Fernando and Sto. Tomas, Pampanga for traffic to and from the northern provinces of
With its rehabilitation, DPWH Regional Director Alfredo Tolentino said it will result to shorter travel time and assure vehicle cost savings, especially for food haulers coming from the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Tarlac bound for
FDA launches hotline for drug complaints or problems
Any complaints on the drug you’re taking?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Department of Health (DOH) launched today a hotline for reporting any complaints of drugs sold in the country.
Consumers may now report to the FDA any complaint or problem with their medicines to telephone # 807-8275, or text 0905-4171771 or 0909-2080500, or email at ireport@bfad.gov.ph. Reports may also be made through the Bantay Gamot Report Forms available in most drugstores.
“In this age of globalization, consumerism, free trade, and increasing use of the internet, the ordinary person now has easy access to different drugs and medicines. Combine this with the penchant for self-medication and the need to improve the drug dispensing practices of our pharmacists and we have a potentially harmful situation where drug safety is questioned,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III declared.
To address this situation, the FDA came up with the Medicines Surveillance Integrating Consumer Reporting Project in the National Capital Region which aims to educate consumers on the proper use of drugs and increase consumer awareness as to where to report complaints or problems with their medicines.
Previously, the FDA has received consumer reports that led to the detection of substandard drug preparations, adverse drug reactions and counterfeit medicines.
“These reports involved illegal business operation practices, such as operating without a license or a registered pharmacist, unlawful dispensing of drugs in the absence of a pharmacist, selling of unregistered drug products, or expired drugs, or suspected counterfeit drugs,” Duque explained.
Other reports were about errors in drug dispensing, common side effects of medicines, lack of drug efficacy, false claims of food supplements, and quality defects,” the health chief added.
“All reports will be treated as confidential and shall be analyzed and investigated following FDA protocol.” Duque assured.
In case of complaints against any drug, the caller may give his name, address, and contact numbers; however, in case of adverse drug reactions, the caller will be asked to give this information and other clinical data as needed.
“The FDA is committed to guard efficiently our nation’s drug supply and advocates patient care to protect the right to health of every Filipino,” Duque concluded.
