QUEZON CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 31 Mar) – Pinaboran diumano ng Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ang operasyon ng militar sa Metro Manila sa harap ng lumalaking batikos ng mga residente at militanteng grupo kontra Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Nabatid ito kay AFP National Capital Region Command Chief Major General Mohammad Dolorfino kasunod ng pagbisita sa detachment ng militar sa Baseco, Tondo, Maynila kaninang umaga. "Congratulations and keep up the good work," ayon kay Dolorfino na sinabi umano ng Pangulong Arroyo sa kanila.
Wala rin umanong nabanggit ang Pangulo hinggil sa pag-alis ng tropa ng mga sundalo sa Kalakhang Maynila.
Sinamahan pa ang Pangulo nina Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon at Army Chief Lieutenant General Romeo Tolentino sa pag-ikot sa mga proyekto ng militar sa Metro.
Matapos lumisan ang Pangulo ay pinasinayaan sina Ebdane, Esperon, at Tolentino ang itinayong palikuran ng mga sundalo sa Isla Puting Bato.
Sa kanyang talumpati, sinabi ni Dolorfino na nilalayon ng militar na tuluyang mapilayan ang mga komunista sa pamamamagitan ng pagtulong para mapagaan ang buhay ng mga mahihirap.
"Using military force is not enough. The real solution is at the root of the problem – poverty," punto ni Dolorfino.
"What we are doing is to make the CPP-NPA irrelevant. If there are no problems in the communities, they will die a natural death," dagdag pa nito. Subali’t muntik nang mapahamak ang isang babae matapos na ito’y mapagkamalang miyembro ng hit squad ng New People's Army sa Tondo, Maynila kanina rin.
Inakala ng mga nagpapatrulyang sundalo na tattoo ang tuldok ng bolpen sa pisngi ng isang 42 anyos na babae, isang palatandaan ng mga komunista noong 1980s.
Katwiran ng babaeng tumangging magpatukoy ng pangalan, nakuha na ang tinta ng bolpen sa mukha habang nakikipaglaro sa kanyang mga pinsan.
Nang lumabas siya ng bahay ay tinanong ito ng mga sundalo hinggil sa pagkakaroon ng marka sa mukha. Hindi na aniya nagpumilit ang militar nang kanyang ipaliwanag ang pinagmulan ng tuldok sa mukha.
"Hindi ko alam kung ano ang ibig nilang sabihin pero sinabi ko sa kanila (mga sundalo) na mga pinsan ko ang naglagay nito nung naglalaro kami," sumbong pa ng babae sa pahayagang Mindanao Examiner.
Bagamat nasita ng mga sundalo, pabor pa rin ang babae sa deployment ng militar sa kanilang lugar. "Mas matahimik nga ngayon dito. Wala ng magnanakaw at adik," dagdag nito. (Juley Reyes)
Showing posts with label PGMA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PGMA. Show all posts
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Arroyo Cites RP's Strong Fiscal Showing
PRESIDENT GLORIA ARROYO on Tuesday cited the strong fiscal performance of the national government, particularly its strict implementation of programs on improving cash flow and revenue collection, for the lowering of the budget deficit which resulted in the "freeing up" of funds that can be used for priority projects nationwide.
The President extolled the Philippines’ "rosy economic outlook" during a round table discussion in Malacanang with some members of her economic team on "the strong performance of the national government as well as the improvement on operational efficiencies of government corporations and what they mean to the poor."
Among those present were Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr., Presidential Chief of Staff Joey Salceda, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Head Efraim Genuino, and outgoing Government Corporate Counsel and incoming Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera, said a government statement.
"Maraming konkretong hakbang ang ating isinusulong upang makamit natin ang mas magandang estado ng ating ekonomiya ngayon. Kasama na dito ang patuloy na pagliit ng ating budget deficit," the President said at the beginning of the discussion.
According to Andaya, the amount of money the government was supposed to borrow to bridge the country's deficit was halved from P125 billion to roughly P62 billion for 2006 due to the "overachieving" performance of the government on its fiscal reform programs.
He said that because of the lowering of the budget deficit, the government is now able to deliver a strong social payback to the people, among which are:
* An additional P200 billion has been added to the 2007 national budget that will be used to fund priority projects concerning education, health and infrastructure;* P13 billion has been released to the more than 1.2 million government employees in the form of the P1,000 increase in their Cost of Living Allowance (COLA);* Additional teachers and policemen can now be hired; and* The 10 percent salary increase for all government employees will proceed as planned starting July 2007.
Salceda, meanwhile, said that aside from the lowering of the budget deficit, the economy grew by 5.4 percent last year, a record of sorts for the country.
He also said that the country's debt service had decreased considerably and this allowed for more funds to be used for the government's priority projects.
"Our debt service last year was pegged at P864 billion but due to Secretary Andaya's brilliant leadership at DBM and because of the strong overall fiscal performance of the government, it was lowered to just only P601 billion," Salceda said.
Genuino, on the other hand, said that under the leadership of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, PAGCOR's profit had doubled and allowed more "social projects" to benefit more and more Filipinos.
Genuino said that a big chunk of the increasing PAGCOR income is being used to fund social payback projects for the people, including the administration’s "Patubig ni PGMA."
During the discussion, Tess Lumactud, chairperson of Barangay Baseco in Manila, and one of her constituents, Rosalie Cabinan, said the "Patubig ni PGMA" has at least 250 beneficiaries in their area.
Cabinan said that by being assigned as caretaker of the water project in Baseco, she is able to earn enough and send her children to school.
Devanadera, meanwhile, said that under the directive of President Arroyo, she was able to aim for "Zero Backlog" in the delivery of legal services to government corporations which need the services of the office of the Government Corporate Counsel.
Under the Zero Backlog scheme, all requests of corporations for legal opinions and contract reviews are undertaken with dispatch so that the requesting corporations will have no downtime in fulfilling their mandate.
Devanadera said she managed to double her agency's output of providing legal assistance and legal opinions and was able to reach 100 percent accomplishment in 2006.
The President reacted happily on the report of Devanadera, saying this would further help in eliminating red tape in government transactions.
The President has been extolling the strong cash flow and revenue collection of the government's revenue generating agencies due to her administration’s implementation of radical fiscal measures such as the Expanded Value Added Tax (EVAT) Law and the National Attrition Law.
The EVAT Law increases the VAT imposed on goods and services from 10 percent to 12 percent, while the National Attrition Law imposes fines and other penalties on the revenue collection agencies such as the Bureaus of Customs, Internal Revenue and Immigration if they fall short of meeting their specified collection targets.
The President extolled the Philippines’ "rosy economic outlook" during a round table discussion in Malacanang with some members of her economic team on "the strong performance of the national government as well as the improvement on operational efficiencies of government corporations and what they mean to the poor."
Among those present were Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr., Presidential Chief of Staff Joey Salceda, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Head Efraim Genuino, and outgoing Government Corporate Counsel and incoming Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera, said a government statement.
"Maraming konkretong hakbang ang ating isinusulong upang makamit natin ang mas magandang estado ng ating ekonomiya ngayon. Kasama na dito ang patuloy na pagliit ng ating budget deficit," the President said at the beginning of the discussion.
According to Andaya, the amount of money the government was supposed to borrow to bridge the country's deficit was halved from P125 billion to roughly P62 billion for 2006 due to the "overachieving" performance of the government on its fiscal reform programs.
He said that because of the lowering of the budget deficit, the government is now able to deliver a strong social payback to the people, among which are:
* An additional P200 billion has been added to the 2007 national budget that will be used to fund priority projects concerning education, health and infrastructure;* P13 billion has been released to the more than 1.2 million government employees in the form of the P1,000 increase in their Cost of Living Allowance (COLA);* Additional teachers and policemen can now be hired; and* The 10 percent salary increase for all government employees will proceed as planned starting July 2007.
Salceda, meanwhile, said that aside from the lowering of the budget deficit, the economy grew by 5.4 percent last year, a record of sorts for the country.
He also said that the country's debt service had decreased considerably and this allowed for more funds to be used for the government's priority projects.
"Our debt service last year was pegged at P864 billion but due to Secretary Andaya's brilliant leadership at DBM and because of the strong overall fiscal performance of the government, it was lowered to just only P601 billion," Salceda said.
Genuino, on the other hand, said that under the leadership of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, PAGCOR's profit had doubled and allowed more "social projects" to benefit more and more Filipinos.
Genuino said that a big chunk of the increasing PAGCOR income is being used to fund social payback projects for the people, including the administration’s "Patubig ni PGMA."
During the discussion, Tess Lumactud, chairperson of Barangay Baseco in Manila, and one of her constituents, Rosalie Cabinan, said the "Patubig ni PGMA" has at least 250 beneficiaries in their area.
Cabinan said that by being assigned as caretaker of the water project in Baseco, she is able to earn enough and send her children to school.
Devanadera, meanwhile, said that under the directive of President Arroyo, she was able to aim for "Zero Backlog" in the delivery of legal services to government corporations which need the services of the office of the Government Corporate Counsel.
Under the Zero Backlog scheme, all requests of corporations for legal opinions and contract reviews are undertaken with dispatch so that the requesting corporations will have no downtime in fulfilling their mandate.
Devanadera said she managed to double her agency's output of providing legal assistance and legal opinions and was able to reach 100 percent accomplishment in 2006.
The President reacted happily on the report of Devanadera, saying this would further help in eliminating red tape in government transactions.
The President has been extolling the strong cash flow and revenue collection of the government's revenue generating agencies due to her administration’s implementation of radical fiscal measures such as the Expanded Value Added Tax (EVAT) Law and the National Attrition Law.
The EVAT Law increases the VAT imposed on goods and services from 10 percent to 12 percent, while the National Attrition Law imposes fines and other penalties on the revenue collection agencies such as the Bureaus of Customs, Internal Revenue and Immigration if they fall short of meeting their specified collection targets.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Arroyo Hails Passage Of Anti-Terror Bill
President Gloria Arroyo (Mindanao Examiner Photo) MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 08 Feb) - Philippine leader Gloria Arroyo on Thursday hailed the passage of the anti-terror bill by the Senate, saying, it will boost the government's all-out war against terror.
"I acknowledge the Senate for the passage of the anti-terror bill. All peace-loving Filipinos are looking forward for its quick approval at the bicameral level and I will wait for it, pen in hand, at my desk," Arroyo said in a statement.
Arroyo said the passage of the bill is an institutional landmark of the 13th Congress. She said the government’s all-out war against terror would now have legal teeth and would make the Philippines a stronger player in the world in the fight against terrorism.
"Now that we have more legal teeth in this fight, we shall continue to sharpen the intelligence and operational capabilities of the Armed Forces and Police, modernize and further professionalize them, and broaden the domestic and international alliance that will give us the edge to win and prevail," she said.
Arroyo said an anti-terror law would stand alongside the ASEAN Anti-Terror agreement signed by the leaders of the 10-member regional grouping at the end of the 12th ASEAN Summit held in Cebu last month.
"A Philippine Anti-Terror Law will stand beside the ASEAN anti-terrorism accord to consolidate the common fight across borders and help bring forth greater security, more vibrant trade and a stronger hand to defeat poverty throughout the region," she said.
She said it would bring together the common fight of member-countries against terror to achieve regional security and prosperity and eventually eradicate poverty.
Arroyo said: "The passage of the bill into law is timely as the world looks upon the Philippines as a strong global player in the fight against terror," with the inevitable defeat of the homegrown terror group Abu Sayyaf, due to the government’s all-out war against them.
Legislators passed Senate Bill 2137, renamed the Human Security Act of 2007, after ensuring enough safeguards are in place to prevent it from being used to abuse human rights.
In the southern Philippines, security officials also praised the passage of the anti-terror bill.
"That is what we need. An anti-terror bill that will address our legal offensive against terrorists," the commander of military forces in Mindanao, Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, told the Mindanao Examiner.
Under the bill, a terror suspect can be held for 3 days without court orders or formal charges. (Mindanao Examiner)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)