Statement of Press Secretary Cerge Remonde on Maguindanao massacre

The Maguindanao massacre is a painful reminder of how man –- and I’m talking about the whole human race –- can regress back to a state of savagery. It is said that the incident has few precedence in brutality, and for this we are condemned by the whole world. But let me assure the nation and the rest of the world that the killing of at least 57 people, including lawyers and media men, is a mere aberration. I will not repeat what DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno said in a press conference yesterday. It should be sufficient for me to say that the machinery of the government is now working to take the suspects into custody and to secure the witnesses. That is the least we can do, if we are to redeem our honor in the eyes of the world. Of course, we must satisfy the cry for justice from the families of the victims. And this we are resolved to do. But the issue has transcended private grief. Our reputation as a civilized people is now at stake. The government, under the able leadership of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, is determined to get to the bottom of this blot on our collective conscience. To the families and supporters of the victims, we appeal for calm and restraint. Our law enforcement agencies are working overtime to solve the crime. To the rest of the world, who may now look at us in less than favorable light, do nor doubt our resolve to redeem our honor. We are a civilized country. We are aware of our duties and responsibilities. We will not rest until we can take our place once again among the ranks of the civilized world. And we will do that by identifying the culprits, by bringing them before the bar of justice, and by meting out a just and appropriate punishment to the guilty.

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PGMA receives German, Austrian journalists

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo this morning received in the Palace 53 German and Austrian writers and editors who come from the lifestyle, travel, and opinion sections of various newspapers and television stations. The president hoped they had a great time and had great memories of the Philippines to share with their readers and television viewers back home. The journalists called on the president following two weeks of travel to the different islands of the country as part of their immersion program, a subject they are expected to write about when they return to their respective countries. This is the second batch of tourism-related communication and travel specialists and agents invited by the Department of Tourism to see and experience first-hand tourist destinations in the country. The first batch, consisting of 250 travel agents and travel writers, came last May and are now helping promote the Philippines to European travelers, said Undersecretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions Eduardo Jarque. The journalists were divided into six groups. Group 1 toured the Visayas Enchanted Islands of Dumaguete (Atmosphere Resort), Sipalay (Artistic Diving Resort) and Bacolod (Planta Centro Hotel); Group 2 for the Aktiv Island Tour in Coron and Busuanga, Palawan (at Club Paradise); Group 3 – Island Hopping in Bohol (Ananyana), Boracay (Boracay Regency); Group 4—Culture and Nature of Vigan/Laoag, Ilocos (Sitio Remedios), El Nido (El Nido Resort-Lagen); Group 5—Spa and Traditional Wellness in Batangas (The Farm at San Benito), Cebu (Shangri-la Mactan) and Boracay (Mandala) and Group 6—South Sea Peals and Paradise Tour of Taytay, Palawan (Flower Island and Terramar Pearl Farms) and El Nido, Palawan (El Nido Resort-Lagen).

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RP impresses German TV director

“We are overwhelmed by the Philippines. There is such a variety of different impressions you can have here. We didn’t know that there are so many islands that you will find one (to love).” Jurgen Drensek, director/author of AIXPRESS, travel-TV-Productions ARD/ZDF, made the remark after his stay in Coron and Busuanga in Palawan Nov. 22-27 at the invitation of the Department of Tourism (DOT). He was among 11 German and one Austrian media men who took the Aktiv Island Tour that highlighted scuba diving, surfing and other active outdoor activities. “I loved it so much. The diving is so enormous The Apo Reef is one of the best diving spots in the world,” he said. He and 52 other travel writers and editors, lifestyle, and opinion writers called on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo prior to leaving for their respective countries tonight. He regrets, however, that the “Philippines is so far away from Europe, and that’s a problem because you have a lot competitors on the way to the Philippines like Thailand which are very well known in Europe,” Drensek said. He said the key to attracting European tourists is to have a very good connecting flight to the Philippines. He is the president of the German Association of Travel Journalists. He said the recent Maguindanao massacre will not likely affect European travel to the Philippines as “it is very far but it will directly affect your local tourism.”

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PGMA orders DepEd to replicate ‘kariton’ classrooms in Metro Manila

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directed education officials to find out how the “kariton classrooms”, for which Efren Penflorida won the CNN Hero of the Year award, can be replicated in Metro Manila, “where there is a high non-participation rate of youths in schools and learning.” The president had just conferred Penaflorida the Order of Sikatuna. The ceremonies held in Malacañang Palace were attended by Education Secretary Jesli Lapus, Presidential Adviser on Education Mona Valisno, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde and Presidential Election Lawyer Romulo Makalintal. “First identify the area with the highest non-performance rate, then identify the point person who will implement the program,” the president told Valisno and Lapus. The president then asked Penaflorida “to help implement this project. We need your guidance in this field.” Penaflorida explained the kariton classroom, which evolved from plastic bag to backpack and then to pushcart, was conceived by the Club 8586, a non-government organization associated with a Christian group in 1987 to address the high rate of school dropouts. The 28-year old public school teacher from Cavite said he joined the Dynamic Teen Co. (DTC), a group under Club 8586, because he was constantly harassed and threatened by local gangs. He said the kariton classroom program does not only teach children how to read and write. “We also impart to them good moral values and the need to observe personal hygiene. We feed them after every lesson because food is our way of enticing them to join us in our lessons,” he said. He teaches in a public school in Cavite from Monday to Friday to support himself. On Saturdays, he pushes the cart, which contains educational materials, play things, and food, to the poor areas to teach children from age 4 up to teenagers. The president could not contain her admiration for this CNN hero, his mother, his DTC mentor and his fellow volunteer-teachers “for your dedication in helping your less fortunate brothers and sisters who need to learn new skills they need in life.” In the end, the president handed Penaflorida an envelope with a check “to help you fund your operations. Tell us what you need and we will try to help you,” she said.

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CNN Hero wants more volunteer teachers

CNN Hero of the Year Efren Penaflorida this morning proposed that colleges and universities urge their students to volunteer as tutors to out-of-school youths. Fresh from Hollywood, Ca., where he received the CNN award, Penaflorida told President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the need to rescue vulnerable young people from a life of crime. He related how his pushcart (kariton) classroom had grown from 20 to 200 volunteer teachers. Today, he added, the program teaches more than 2,500 students every Saturday. “We are not governed by a curriculum. We are not an alternative teaching program. We teach primary children,ages 4 to teens, who have lost interest in school for one reason or another,” Penaflorida explained to the president. He said that the success of the program depends on the number of student volunteers it can get. “The more volunteers the more young people we can reach. We need to impart to them good moral values,” he said. The president was so excited that she ordered the replication of the kariton school, initially in Metro Manila and then all over the country. The president congratulated Penaflorida’s parents, Lucila and Efren Sr., “for raising your child so well.” It turned out that Penaflorida was a PGMA Leadership awardee from Cavite in the early part of her term.

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PGMA orders MRFs set up

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today urged barangay officials of San Miguel, Pandacan, and Sta. Mesa to find locations for the establishment of materials recovery facilities (MRFs) before the year ends. Malacanang is located in barangay San Miguel. The president said the establishment of MRFs in all local government units is in compliance with Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2001, and Republic Act 9729 or the Climate Change Act of 2009 which she signed into law last October. At the climate change briefing this morning in Malacanang, the president told barangay officials from areas surrounding Malacanang that establishing MRFs will reduce the harmful methane emissions from rotting garbage. Methane is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, the leading contributor to climate change. The president also said barangays with MRFs generate income from recyclables, composting, and making charcoal briquettes which the Department of Environment and Natural resources will help fund. Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser on Global Warming and Climate Change Heherson Alvarez reported MRF compliance of Luzon at 12.61 percent; Visayas at 11.14 percent; and Mindanao at 16.37 percent. Alvarez said these figures represent a national compliance rate of 13.2 percent, up by seven percent from the recorded 6.2 percent compliance rate last year.

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PGMA still mum on 2010 plans

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has yet to decide if she will heed her cabalens’ call for her to run in the second district of Pampanga. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the President remained undecided even if more than 500 of her supporters trooped to Malacanang this morning urging her to represent them in the second district of Pampanga "The President has no decision yet, perhaps we should wait for the proper announcement regarding this matter," Remonde said during a media briefing in Malacanang. Members of various multi-sectoral groups in the six towns of the second district of Pampanga urged the President to run to provide continuity to her numerous projects and programs she initiated and implemented in their district. The group represents some 800 organizations in the six towns composed of farmers, fishermen, indigenous (Aetas), businessmen, professionals and the transport and women sectors. They thanked the President for her numerous projects that include the establishment and provision of farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities, certified seeds, irrigation, potable water, electricity, schools, various scholarships, anti-flooding projects and distribution of certificates of ancestral domain titles (CADTs) for the Aetas. The group also presented to the President a manifesto convincing her to run as congresswoman in Pampanga. “Ito ang aming panawagan Pangulong Gloria, kayo po ay aming pinakikiusapan na tumakbo bilang kinatawan sa Kongreso sa ikalawang distrito ng Pampanga, kayo ang gusto naming kumatawan sa amin sa Kongreso upang doon ay ituloy ninyo ang mga nasimulang proyekto at programa, upang doon ay patuloy ninyong maitaguyod ang inyong mga dakilang mithiin hindi lamang sa Pampanga, kundi sa buong bayan," the manifesto read. The President, however, did not make any categorical statement but just smiled and thanked her cabalens. The group said they are hoping the President would heed their call and file her candidacy before the December 1 deadline.

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PGMA hosts Common TAO Day in Malacañang

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo opened the gates of Malacañang today to indigent residents of 22 barangays that ring the Palace compound, in observation of Common Tao Day tradition started by her father, the late President Diosdado Macapagal. Immediately after her briefing on climate change and solid waste management with barangay captains and kagawads at Malacanang’s Heroes Hall, the president walked outside and joined thousands of indigent residents who came to see her. The chief executive handed over wheelchairs to physically impaired Francisco Soriano and Norma Reyes. She then awarded Certificate of Guarantee Letters for medical and dialysis treatment to Rodolfo Gabriel and Benjamin Cruz. The president awarded portable nebulizer machines and medical kits to each of the barangays. Each medical kit contains assorted medicines, blood pressure apparatus, syringes, surgical gloves, bandages, breast pumps, and specimen bottles. After awarding a videoke machine to raffle winners, Barangay 634, the president distributed Christmas gift packs to residents. Joining the president in the celebration were Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante and officials and employees of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

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Palace thumbs down international body probe of Maguindanao massacre

There’s no way an international independent body can join in the investigation of the Maguindanao massacre. Malacañang today said bringing the case to the United Nations or to any other independent international fact-finding body is like surrendering the country’s sovereignty as a nation. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde issued the statement in response to reports that Senator Loren Legarda and former Akbayan Representative Etta Rosales has urged the United Nations to conduct a separate probe of the incident. Remonde said the issue happened within the Philippine territory and both police and military authorities have enough capability to resolve the issue. “Bringing this matter to an international body or inviting other people to do it for us is like surrendering our sovereignty as a nation,” Remonde said, adding that it is not good for the Filipino people to believe that the military and police authorities cannot resolve the case. Instead of finger pointing, Remonde urged the public to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and help in the investigation. “(To) those who have something to contribute let them contribute to the solution of the case. Let them contribute to bringing justice to the victims,” he added.

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PGMA gives Puno full powers in ARMM

In the aftermath of Monday’s massacre of 57 people, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo authorized Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno to suspend and relieve all civilian officials, police and military in Maguindanao and the rest of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde made the disclosure at a media briefing this afternoon. He said the president issued the order in a meeting in the morning that day. He said he was present, as were Puno, Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera, and Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales. He said the concerns raised by the international community are “more acutely felt by every patriotic Filipino.” He added that the president ordered Puno “to apply the full force of the law and to put all resources of the government behind the effort to give justice to the victims.” According to Remonde, investigators are verifying the claim that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is behind the brutal murders. The principal suspect, now in government custody, Mayor Unsan Ampatuan, had made the suggestion. “But that is what the suspect says,” he pointed out. “We will not allow ourselves to be diverted from our objective, which is to serve the cause of justice.” He said the government will base its action on the evidence gathered by investigators on the ground. He acknowledged that Ampatuan was not in handcuffs when brought from Gen. Santos City to Manila, but that, he added, was a tactical matter decided by police operatives. In any case, he said, the suspect is now behind bars, and that is a very strong message that there is justice in the country. The Department of Justice is collecting all the evidence and the affidavits of witnesses,” he said. “And we are extending all protection to the witnesses and looking after the welfare of their families.” He brushed off suggestions that the government elevate the case to an international tribunal. “If we bring this matter to an international body, we surrender our sovereignty as a nation,” he said. “I think that is the worst thing that can happen to us, if we begin to believe that we cannot do things for ourselves.”

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