PGMA's Speech during the Opening of the Microsoft Southern Philippines Office |
| Skyrise IT Bldg., Asiatown IT Park, Lahug District, Cebu City, Cebu - 26 Dec 2006 |
| Mr.
Tony Javier, congratulations! And thank you for bringing Microsoft to Cebu. Governor Garcia; Deputy Speaker Del Mar; Congressman Cuenco and Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the House of Representatives; Mayor Radaza, who is here as a guest because he's mayor of Lapu-Lapu City; and to all of you, to Mr. Bawal and all of the officers of Microsoft here in Cebu for Visayas and Mindanao; all the other partners of Microsoft; our officials of DepEd for Cebu, congratulations! Sa inyo hang premyo. Congratulations! And thank you for bringing Microsoft to Cebu. Thank you for this expansion of Microsoft not only geographically to Cebu but the expansion of your products, your OFW service and your half-priced starter set. And I would like to take this advantage... Advantage of this occasion also to say what I would have said if I had been in Ginsaugon, Leyte this morning, Southern Leyte, but we were not been able to go there because of the inclement weather in Southern Leyte. But I wanted to say there in Southern Leyte that that today because of the... Anyway, they push through without us, we turnover the houses, the relocation houses to the victims of the landslide in Ginsaugon, Leyte... Southern Leyte and in Liloan. And the Ginsaugon event happened only nine months ago. So nine months after is the closure to that tragic incident which they are now celebrating today. It's an inspiration for those who are suffering now in Bicol as well because a very similar event happened in Southern Leyte and now they are back on their feet. But it's not only in terms of recovering from calamity that we celebrate what is happening there and what is happening here. It's also because this augurs well for the coming year and what we can look forward to the coming year. We will surely greet the new year with another strong start for the economy as we share optimism and hope for united Philippines moving ahead. More foreign investors -- remember, Microsoft is a foreign company -- and financial institutions are now appreciating the aggressive reforms carried out by our people. The government will continue to match the reforms with redoubled efforts, redoubled efforts to sustain the momentum we have gained and achieving more gains in confidence, investments, jobs and more penetrating reforms and services. Well, this is really bringing hi-tech to the grassroots, to the schools and to those who cannot afford the original software. And that is what the government will be doing next year too. Next year will be the time to drive our economic gains deeper into the grassroots. Next year will be the time to make more strategic headway against terrorism and insurgency, and improve the climate of law and order in the cities and the countryside. Next year will be the time when we can rehabilitate our calamity-stricken communities. We have a few of them now in addition in Bicol. Next year is the time when we can get our people back on the platform of enterprise. We have started to do this this year but we hope and we look forward to next year as being the year when it could all come together. The season of optimism and hope sends a clear message that the best is yet to come for our people. And I am happy that as they are right now celebrating the closure of the tragic events of Ginsaugon and Liloan over there in Southern Leyte, here we are celebrating the beginning of a new chapter in the information age for the people of the Visayas and Mindanao through Microsoft in Cebu. Kaninyong tanan, daghan salamat. Congratulations! For the good performance. |