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| Versoza is the next PNP Chief - Palace |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has appointed Philippine National Police
(PNP) Deputy Director General Jesus Versoza as the next PNP chief, vice
Director General Avelino Razon who is retiring on Sept. 27 upon reaching the
mandatory retirement age for military and police personnel of 56. Versoza’s promotion to the top PNP post was announced by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 (NAIA 2) after the send-off ceremony for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who left for New York at 10:30 last night (Sept. 21) to address the 63rd United Nations (UN) General Assembly. “I have the authority of the President to announce that PNP Deputy Director General Jesus Versoza shall be the incoming Chief of the Philippine National Police,” Ermita told reporters who covered the President’s departure. He added that the turnover ceremonies will be held at the PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Sept. 27, the same day the President is scheduled to arrive from her five-day US trip. “The President is precisely coming (back on the 27th) to officiate the turnover (ceremonies),” Ermita stressed. Versoza will be the 15th chief of the PNP since its conversion on Jan. 29, 1991 from the now defunct Philippine Constabulary-Integrated National Police (PC-INP) under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to its present status as a civilian police organization. Versoza, whose three-star rank is equivalent to lieutenant general in the AFP, is currently the deputy PNP chief for administration. A member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1976, he formerly headed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) after serving as director of PNP-Region IV (Southern Tagalog). |
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| PGMA arrives in New York |
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NEW YORK CITY (via PLDT) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo arrived here
early this morning (5 p.m. Manila time) to join other world leaders at the
63rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for high-level discussions of
the impact of rising food and fuel prices and the US financial turmoil on
the advances made under the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). During her five-day visit here, the President will also seek to further bolster the Philippines’ bilateral relations with other UN-member states and other organizations, including the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), on the sidelines of the UN High-Level meetings. The President and her lean delegation arrived from San Francisco at 5 a.m. (New York time) at the Atlantic Aviation Teterboro after the almost 19-hour flight from Manila. The presidential party boarded the Philippine Air Lines (PAL) flight 104 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City for San Francisco at 10:30 p.m. Sunday (Manila time). From San Francisco, she took a connecting flight for New York. From the Atlantic Aviation Teterboro in New York, the President was whisked to the Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue, her official residence while she is in the Big Apple for a brief rest. The President’s Day 1 in New York started with a meeting with Citibank Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bill Rhodes at the Presidential Suite of the Plaza. Citibank is the largest bank in the US as of March 2007, and the largest foreign bank in the Philippines. The President’s first day engagements ended with her attendance at the reception for the heads of delegation to the 63rd UN General Assembly hosted by US President and Mrs. Laura Bush at 7 p.m. at the Starlight Room of the posh Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Day 2 will be very hectic: The President starts her day at 9 a.m. when she addresses the 63rd UNGA. She will be the fourth speaker in the morning session, after the President of Brazil, President Bush, and the French President Nicolas Sorkozy. The President of the 63rd UNGA is Father Miguel Escoto Brockmann, also the Foreign Minister of Nicaragua. Brockman and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will open the UNGA with their statements. The President will meet OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at 11:30 a.m. to express her appreciation to the OIC for its continuing support for the Mindanao peace process. She will also brief the OIC secretary general on the Philippines’ new paradigm in negotiating peace in Mindanao, from holding dialogues with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to consultations with the communities and other stakeholders. The President is also expected to reiterate the Philippines’ commitment to harmonious relations with the Islamic world, as reflected in its request for OIC observer status. For the rest of the day, the President will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of St. Vincent and Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, Andorra, San Marino and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. She will also receive Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov at the UN Headquarters. The President is scheduled to attend an art exhibit hosted by Argentina President Christina Fernandez, and a dinner hosted by the UN Secretary General, also at the UN Headquarters; and another dinner hosted by the President of Costa Rica and the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. Day 4 starts with bilateral meetings with the leaders of Cape Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Iceland, Belgium, Slovenia and Comoros. She will also interact with the Filipino employees at the UN. |
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| Tampinco named PSALM president vice Del Callar |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has appointed Power Sector Assets and
Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) vice president for asset management and
electricity trading Froilan Tampinco as the new president of the National
Power Corp. (Napocor), Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita announced today. Tampinco will replace Napocor president Cyril del Callar, whose resignation takes effect on Sept. 30. Del Callar resigned on Sept.8, citing health problems. Ermita said the President informed him of Tampinco's appointment before she left Manila Sunday evening (Sept. 21) for New York to address the 63rd United Nations General Assembly. A career executive, Tampinco has a long experience in public service, Ermita noted. |
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| Statement of Deputy Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo Re: Fear-mongering on term extension |
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The President intends to vacate her office when her term ends in 2010 and
does not know where such fear-mongering is coming from. Let’s stay focused and help the President make the best of the remainder of her term. |
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| PGMA declares Oct. 1 as national holiday in celebration of Eid'l Fitr |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared Oct. 1 as a regular holiday
nationwide to promote cultural understanding and give Filipinos the
opportunity to join their Muslim brothers and sisters worldwide in the
observance of the Eid’l Fitr or the Feast of Ramadhan. The President signed Proclamation No. 1625 last Friday (Sept. 19) declaring Oct. 1, 2008 (Wednesday), as a regular holiday throughout the country “to promote national consciousness on the religious and cultural significance of the Eid’l Fitr (Feast of Ramadhan).” A three-day festival known as "Eid" or "Eid ul-Fitr," which literally means "the feast of the breaking/to break the fast," ends the observance of the holy month of Ramadhan. Eid’l Fitr is the first day marking the end of the 30-day fasting period of Ramadhan. The Office of Muslim Affairs (OMA) has determined Oct. 1, 2008 as the main date for the celebration of the Eid’l Fitr in accordance with the lunar calendar or the Islamic calendar (Hijra). As part of her efforts to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding, the President graced the 4th Iftar sponsored by the World Islamic Call Society (WICS) last Saturday (Sept. 20) at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel in Manila. Last year, the President also joined the celebration of the Iftar, the evening meal which breaks the daily fast from sunrise to sunset during the Islamic month of Ramadan that started last Sept. 1 this year. The Eid’l Fitr is the culmination of the month long Muslim struggle towards spiritual purification which is achieved through fasting, self-sacrifice and prayers. |
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| Malacañang scoffs at report of alleged move to extend President's term beyond 2010 |
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Malacanang today scoffed at efforts by administration critics to resurrect
the bogey of term extension, saying President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has no
intention to stay beyond her term which ends in 2010. “I do not know whoever said anything about term extension of the President. As of now, I don’t recall having heard anyone, at least here in the Cabinet, talking about term extension of the President,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said. Ermita was reacting to plans by the President’s critics to launch a signature campaign against alleged efforts to extend her term of office. The Executive Secretary said the signature campaign was apparently intended to preempt any move to extend the President’s term, “but I don’t known if indeed there is any such move being contemplated by anybody in the administration.” Likewise, Presidential Management Staff (PMS) head Cerge Remonde said that there’s “no attempt to keep the President in power beyond 2010.” He asserted that “since the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, we won’t begrudge anybody doing just that (signature campaign) for as long as these are not just publicity stunts designed to demonize the President.” For her part, Deputy Sokesperson Lorelei Fajardo lamented the new round of “fear-mongering” being conducted by the usual critics of the President, adding that the Chief Executive “intends to vacate her office when her term ends in 2010.” President Arroyo is at a loss as to where the opposition is sourcing such extension canard. The President “does not know where such fear-mongering is coming from,” she said. Fajardo called on the public to “stay focused and help the President make the best of the remainder of her term.” The President has time and again disavowed any intention to extend her term. |
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