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| Delegates to 4th regional forum on corruption calls on PGMA |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo welcomed today to Malacañang Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) delegates to the 4th annual meeting of
the parties to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Preventing and
Combating Corruption held on Aug. 26-28 at the Philippine International
Convention Center (PICC). The President said the Philippines was happy to host the three-day meeting of the heads of anti-corruption agencies from Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. The delegation, led by Ambassador Said Hamdan of Malaysia, paid a courtesy call on the President this morning at Malacanang’s Music Room. The group was accompanied to Malacanang by Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Guttierez. The delegates shared their best country practices and benchmark strategies on fighting and preventing corruption during the three-day meeting. On the third day, Ombudsman Gutierrez and other key Philippine officials, including Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Diosdado Peralta, presented the country’s experience in asset recovery. In her address during the opening of the meeting at the PICC, Guttierez said that the gathering of the delegates from the Asean countries was an “indication of that level of collective understanding and resolve required to fight corruption and recover ill-gotten proceeds.” She added: “Indeed, your presence, a presence that seems to grow each time we meet, is yet another public acknowledgement not just of the need to fight corruption but the need for nations to band together in order to effectively fight corruption on a regional, even global, scale.” The first MOU on fighting corruption region-wide was signed on Dec. 15, 2004, among Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Asean member parties that hosted past annual MOU meetings were Malaysia in July, 2005, Brunei in July 2006, and Singapore in Sept. 2007. In forming the group, the member agencies recognized the need to strengthen collaborative efforts among them to fight corruption, which is transnational in nature. Among the areas of cooperation among the parties to the MOU are the following: exchange of information in respect to methods and means of criminal acts of corruption and corrupt practices; conduct training, courses, exchange of expertise and human resource personnel; Host and participate in forums, workshops, seminars, conventions and conferences; provide technical assistance in operational activities; and share information on relevant intelligence data, statistics, and corruption crime records. |
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| PGMA presides over mass oathtaking ceremony for 118 gov’t and NGOs officials |
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It was an oathtaking day in Malacañang this morning when President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo swore into office 118 government and non-government
organization (NGO) officials. Inducted into office were: William Medrano as acting commissioner for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED); Ma. Victoria Cardona as commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR); Grepor B. Belgica as commissioner of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), representing the private sector; Dr. Rey B. Aquino as acting president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth); and Benigno N. Ricafort as president and chief executive officer of the Clark Development Corporation (CDC). The President also inducted during the mass oathtaking rites the 38 newly-elected officers of the Sangguniang Kabataan National Federation (SKNF); and 20 new trustees of the board of the Philippine National Police Academy Alumni Association Inc. (PNPAAI). The President also swore into office 19 directors and members of the National Federation of Women’s Club of the Philippines (NFWCP); 34 officers, advisers and members of the board of governors of the Consumers Union of the Philippines (CUP); Vicky Pagadia and Baby Golez as the national officers of the Inner Wheel Clubs of the Philippines (IWCP); and Alex Wong as governor of the Philippine College of Rotary Governors (PCRG). |
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| RP to host second Global Forum on Migration and Development in Oct. |
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The Philippine will host this October the 2nd Global Forum on Migration and
Development, a wide-ranging discussion and dialogue on the welfare and
empowerment of migrants. The country was the unanimous choice of the 125 member states of the International Office of Migration (IOM) and 16 states holding observer status as the venue of the forum. In a meeting with Ambassador William Lacey Swing, IOM director-general, in Malacanang this morning, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo invited the IOM official to attend the forum. “We are very honored to have you here. Your support is very important to us,” the President told Swing. The GFMD has metamorphosed into an annual international conference on migration and development issues. It developed as a regular forum following the High Level Dialogue on Migration organized by the United Nations (UN) in New York in Sept. 2006. The first GFMD was held in Brussels, Belgium on July 9-11, 2007. It featured back-to-back sessions by civil society groups (Civil Society Day) and the governmental groups (Governmental Days). Three specific themes were tackled in the conference namely (a) Human
capital development and labor mobility, (b) Remittances and other diaspora
resources, and (c) Enhancing institutional and policy coherence and
promoting partnerships. Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. With 125 member states, a further 16 states holding observer status and offices in over 100 countries, IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, promote international cooperation on migration issues, assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people. |
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| Statement of Press Secretary Jesus G. Dureza Re: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) |
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The 4.6-percent GDP recorded on the second quarter is still respectable
given the threats to the global economy. In a larger view, our growth output only mirrors what the rest of even major economies in the world are experiencing due to high food and oil prices which induced inflation and held back consumer demand. The government is addressing the impact of these by accelerating expenditures on pro-poor programs while cutting back on non-essential ones. These measures and other reforms laid by President Arroyo, which kept the country on an even keel in spite of global factors, are part of the pump-priming activity of the government to generate jobs and demand for goods and services. |
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| Statement of Deputy Spokesman Lorelei Fajardo |
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The slowdown of our economic growth is a direct result of the public’s
reaction to the market. People tended to spend wisely and used their
resources on important things, spending more on the essentials rather than
luxury items. Government is poised to continually execute its infrastructure program and other economic activities to create more opportunities for our people to get jobs and earn more, thus increasing public expenditure and investment. We expect growth to recover as fuel and food prices stabilize. Government will keep monitoring the continued effect of prices on our people and will institute such measures as are necessary to help alleviate their effects on our spending public. |
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| Palace says 2nd quarter GDP respectable given the threats to the global economy |
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Malacañang today dubbed as “respectable” the country’s 4.6 percent Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter of 2008. In a statement, Press Secretary Jesus G. Dureza said “the 4.6-percent GDP recorded on the second quarter is still respectable given the threats to the global economy.” “In a larger view, our growth output only mirrors what the rest of even major economies in the world are experiencing due to high food and oil prices which induced inflation and held back consumer demand,” Dureza stressed. The Press Secretary said the Arroyo administration is presently addressing the impact of these twin problems of increased inflation and decreased consumer demand by “accelerating expenditures on pro-poor programs while cutting back on non-essential ones.” “These measures and other reforms laid by President Arroyo -- which kept the country on an even keel in spite of global factors -- are part of the pump-priming activity of the government to generate jobs and demand for goods and services,” Dureza added. |
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| PMA opens doors to more Filipino Muslims wanting to join regular armed forces |
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From warriors to peacemakers and guardians of peace – this is part of the
Philippine Military Academy’s (PMA) refurbished academic thrust designed to
encourage more Filipino Muslims to join the forces of national unity rather
than the violent forces of separatism. The PMA has set up nine examination centers in Mindanao for the PMA Entrance Examination (PMAEE) on Monday. This is close to one-third of the total number of testing venues nationwide, according to Maj. Gen. Leopoldo L. Maligalig, PMA superintendent. He lamented that this school year, no Filipino Muslim is graduating from the PMA. The “slant” on Mindanao echoes President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s call for “all-out peace” in the region, which has been wracked by a fratricidal conflict over the last four decades. “I say to the Filipinos, to the world, to our Muslim brothers in the South, to the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference) through our Kuwaiti friends, there is no all-out war – what we are doing, we are doing to have all-out peace in Mindanao,” the President said during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kuwaiti locator Global Gateway Logistics City at the Clark Economic Zone in Pampanga. “We have never deviated from the objectives of the peace process -- but peace must be anchored on justice,” added President Arroyo who wished “for all insurgents to turn their swords into ploughshares, their arms to farms.” But she explained that “the rampage of some lawless MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) groups in Mindanao calls for resolute military and police action.” The government has put up a P10-million reward for the capture of the MILF’s renegade commanders “Umbra Kato” and “Bravo” who launched bloody attacks in North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Sarangani. One of the victims of the MILF rampage was a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s Class of 1990, Lt. Col. Angel Benitez. The reward, President Arroyo said, “manifests the government’s firm resolve to hasten the neutralization of these criminals so that justice can be achieved and we can move on with the peace process.” Of the 187-strong PMA Class of 2009, 36 cadets (17.9 percent) are from Mindanao. At present, only 11 Muslim cadets are enrolled at the PMA, four (1.63 percent) in Class 2010; two (.75 percent) in Class 2011; and five (2.04 percent) in Class of 2012, according to Maligalig. The PMA superintendent said Mindanaoans comprise 222 (22.72 percent or less than one-fourth) of the total number of PMA cadets of 977, of which 120 (12.3 percent) are female. Class 2009 has 36 (17.89 percent) cadets from Mindanao; Class 2010 has 63 (25.61 percent); Class 2011, 54 (20.45 percent); and Class 2012, 69 (28.16 percent). This year’s PMAEE will be held in the following areas in Mindanao: Zamboanga City; Jolo, Sulu; Cotabato; Iligan City; General Santos; Davao; Ozamis; Cagayan de Oro; and Butuan. The PMA is advising every applicant who still has to receive his/her Exam Permit/Application Number to proceed to the nearest PMA Exam Center on or before Aug. 30, 2008 to verify his/her name in the Master List of Applicants. Any interested applicant who wishes to take the PMA Entrance Examination but was not able to submit his/her Application Form before the cut-off date may apply as a walk-in applicant on Aug. 30 and 31, 2008 at the nearest PMA Exam Centers nationwide. PMA representatives will be around to entertain walk-in applicants who should bring two pieces of 2”x2” ID picture (colored with white background), National Statistics Office (NSO) Birth Certificate, Form 137, Pencil (Mongol #2) with eraser and sharpener, Maligalig said. |
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| PGMA congratulates wushu star and members of his team for bagging one gold, one silver and 2 bronze medals |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo received in Malacañang today Willy Wang,
the Filipino gold medal winner in the Beijing Olympics’ side event, together
with the four members of his team who likewise brought home one silver and
two bronze medals. Gold medalist Wang, silver medalist Mary Jane Estimar and bronze medal winners Benjie Rivera and Mariane Mariano paid a courtesy call on the President. They were accompanied by sports officials and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo. “Congratulations! Show your medals, the Olympic style,” the President said as she welcomed her famous callers, after which she gladly posed with them for a souvenir photo. The four champions won their medals in the wushu competitions, a special event in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Wang won the gold medal in the wushu nanquin level; Estimar, her silver medal in the wushu women’s sanshou 52 kilograms level; Rivera, his bronze medal in the wushu men’s 52 kilograms; and Mariano, his bronze medal in the wushu women’s sanshou 56 kilograms category. The First Gentleman, in a brief interview, expressed his elation for the great honor the wushu team gave to the nation. He pledged P1 million prize while the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) vowed P500,000 for the wushu winners. Wang’s victory marked the only time the Philippine national anthem was played in the Olympic city. “I am very proud of our wushu team. They were able to get medals, all of them. We had only four participants and all of them got medals, one gold, one silver, two bronzes. We are very proud of them. They gave honor to the country. You know we all felt so good when they played our national anthem at that time when the flag was raised. We were very, very proud and so happy at that time,” the First Gentleman said. The President, according to Dodie King of Pagcor gave a total of P5 million to the wushu team from the President’s Social Fund. For its part, the FG Foundation Inc. handed down cash incentives to Wang in the amount of P500,000; Estimar, 250,000; while Rivera and Mariano both received 125,000 each. PSC chairman William Ramirez said that his office also rewarded the wushu winners P500,000. Other officials present were Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella, wushu team honorary chairman Francis Chang, and its president, Julian Camacho. |
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