PGMA OPENS PRISAA NATIONAL GAMES IN NAGA CITY

NAGA CITY – “In my capacity as President of the Republic of the Philippines, I hereby declare the PRISAA Games 2009 open.”

With this declaration, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo formally opened today the Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) National Games of 2009 amid lively festivities at the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) here.


The President was accompanied to the occasion by Budget Secretary and Cabinet Official for Regional Development (CORD) 5 Rolando Andaya, PRISSA National President Carlo Villanueva, PRISAA chair Gonzalo Duque, Camarines Sur Congressmen Dato Arroyo, (1st dist.) and Felix Alfelor Jr., (4rd dist.), and local officials led by Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo.

In a brief statement, the President said that this year’s PRISSA sports meet was made more memorable with the participation of all 17 regions of the Philippines.

“Congratulations because for the first time in PRISAA history, all 17 regions of the Philippines have fielded athletes and representatives to the event,” the President said in Filipino.
PRISAA is an organization of private schools all over the country with a vision to serve as a venue for sports, academic, and cultural development of the Filipino youth.

It was organized on Feb. 17, 1953 through the initiative of the director of the bureau of private schools, Dr. Manuel Carreon, who encouraged the private schools all over the Philippines to join the PRISAA to further enhance the promotion of sports and academic competitions among private schools.

Over the years, PRISAA games have nurtured the development of several outstanding athletes who represented the country in international competitions, including the renowned sprinter Mona Soliman from Mindanao and outstanding shot put and discus throw athlete Josephine dela Viata from the Visayas.

The President lauded PRISAA and its officials, saying the campaign to instill the value of teamwork is needed especially at this time when the world is reeling from the effects of the global financial crisis.

“It is important that during this time of turmoil marked by the world economic crisis we learn and practice the meaning and advantages of unity and teamwork,” she said.
She called on the participants, especially the Filipino youth, to heed the call for unity and teamwork.

“Inaasahan ko sa mga kabataan na narito ngayon, pagbalik niyo sa eskwela o kahit during summer, ay gagawin kayong mga volunteer teams para tumulong sa inyong pamayanan (I hope that when the participants in these Games return to their respective regions, whether it is the summer months or not, they will volunteer to serve the government and the people),” the President said.

“At para sa pag-ensayo ng teamwork, kailangan ang mga kompetensiya tulad ng PRISAA,” she added.

After declaring the games open, the President raised the PRISAA flag. (PIA V Release)


POVERTY ALLEVIATION IS OVER-ACHING GOAL OF PGMA ADMINISTRATION

NAGA CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo stressed anew today that poverty alleviation is her administration’s over-arching goal.

In a one-on-one interview with Ms. Sonia Osorio Leano of DWOS Naga, DWML Legaspi and DZSL Daet at the Nueva Caceres University here, the President also expressed her gratitude upon being informed that the Bicolanos in the barangays now feel that indeed the government is determined to uplift the people’s lives through the various anti-poverty programs already in place.

“I am very thankful that the people are directly benefitting from these government programs,” the President said.

“Poverty alleviation is the over-arching framework for all government initiatives; and, in fact, the key focus of my economic reform program in the last few years has been to translate the economic gains from our reforms into real benefits for the people, most especially the poor and this remains our focus until the day I leave office,” she said.

These poverty-alleviation programs include better access to healthcare for the poor, more jobs, livelihood programs, and education.

The President also said that due to the global economic crisis, many Filipino overseas workers (OFWs) have lost their jobs, thus the government came up with the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Program (CLEEP).

Likewise, she has directed all government agencies to allot 1.5 percent of their budget for programs that will cushion the impact of the global economic crisis, especially on the poor.
Other anti-poverty initiatives of the government include the Food for School Program, cheaper medicines through the Botika ng Barangay, microfinance, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), and the Tindahan ng Bayan programs/projects.
The President attributed the success of these programs to the availability of additional resources generated by the expanded value added tax (EVAT).

“Without revenue to invest in people, there is no progress. With this revenue, we have been able to invest in physical and human infrastructure – roads, bridges, ports. We have been able to expand access to healthcare, improve education and expand social services. And believe me, raising the EVAT taxes was no picnic. It cost me politically – no one likes to raise taxes. But it was worth every point I lost in popularity to see the nation finally get moving,” the President said.

The President added that new revenue was only part of the equation in balancing the budget. Building up new industries such as the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector and expanding trade relations to diversify economic bridges were equally important.

These economic reforms shielded the country from the harsh impact of the present global crisis, she said, adding: “All of these actions were taken before there was a hint of a global crisis. And thanks to the bitter pill of fiscal reform under EVAT, we have been spared the harsher backlash of the current global financial crisis.”

The President further said that the government has put in place a cushion to help the poor with the establishment of new industries like BPO that will continue to boom.

She pointed out that a P330-billion Economic Resiliency Plan was put in place to ensure sustainable growth, create and save jobs, and protect the most vulnerable sectors against the harsh effects of the global crisis.

The Plan includes accelerated spending for infrastructure, granting additional personal tax exemptions and reducing corporate taxes, expansion of social protection programs such as conditional transfers, National Health Insurance, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), and Hunger Mitigation Program. It also includes the creation of new employment opportunities through the Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) and through a range of other livelihood programs.

“We will continue on a path of fiscal discipline, targeted investment and targeted relief to our poor as we weather this global storm,” the President said, even as she stressed the need for volunteerism for the Filipinos to weather the global economic crisis.

“Volunteerism is important, I hope all of us will join hands in facing this present global economic challenge and emerge a winner,” she said. (PIA V Release)


NDCC ACQUIRES DISASTER MITIGATION EQUIPMENT

LEGAZPI CITY — Some P400 million worth of sensitive equipment for disaster mitigation acquired by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) will be fanned out to the various disaster coordinating councils in time for the second half of the year when typhoons normally occur.

This was the assurance given by DND Undersecretary Anthony T. Golez, Jr., Executive Director of the Bicol Calamity and Rehabilitation Efforts (Bicol CARE), in last week’s blessing and turn-over of the rehabilitated/repaired facilities of the Philippine Air Force Technical Operations Group in Bicol.

Golez said the NDCC has been focusing on the importance of disaster preparedness and with the acquisition equipment in disaster management the capability of the local disaster coordinating councils will be enhanced.

Among the sensitive equipment acquired by the NDCC is the thermal imager which has the capability to scan for images of calamity victims within a radius of 300 meters even during situations of very poor visibility, Golez said.

He added that the NDCC has also acquired a mobile cellsite which can be deployed to areas rendered powerless by natural calamities and in effect restore communications among agencies for immediate disaster response.

Golez said the community can expect the local government units to be more prepared in disaster mitigation particularly those in Bicol after the terrifying experience from Typhoon Reming in November 2006.

He also announced that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has approved a 12-month extension of the Bicol CARE for a complete reporting of the various rehabilitation projects accomplished from the P10 billion funding granted by the government after the onslaught of Tyhoon Reming.

Among the rehab project undertaken through the Bicol CARE is the rehabilitation of the facilities of the PAF technical operations group at the Legazpi City airport site.

Undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) the project costs some P17 million with the scope of work covering the replacemnt of the covered hangar and other buildings like that of the motorpool, and supply and storage for P10 million while P7 million was spent for improvement and asphalt overlay of the parking ramp and apron, and the concreting of the Helipads.

DPWH Bicol regional director Orlando Roces led the turn-over of the project documents.

PAF Col. Francisco V. Carada, TOG5 commander who said that the facilities will enhance the operational capabilities of the Philippine Air Force in this part of the country which is considered as typhoon prone area.

Carada affirmed USEC Golez statement that the PAF technical operations ground facility is the gateway in the delivery of emergency assistance during calamities.
(NIMediavillo, Radyo ng Bayan/PIA)


RP-US BALIKATAN HOLDS MEDCAP IN SORSOGON

CAMP SIMEON A OLA, Legaspi City – A total of 2,854 locals from the different barangays of Irosin, Sorsogon benefited from the two–day Medical Civic Action Program (MEDCAP) held in barangay Patag Elementary School on April 17-18 consisting of medical, dental, surgical and veterinary services.

Patients, who mostly came from the depressed barangay of said municipality, were treated for their illness and were provided with other medical services by the military physicians, dentists, nurses and veterinarians from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States military contingents.

Lola Iska, 65, resident of a neighboring barangay of Patag, was accompanied by local health office personnel from her residence to be treated of her eye ailment.

“I travel by foot few kilometers from our residence just to avail of the free treatment catered by RP-US military ophthalmologists. I sincerely convey my gratitude to the Balikatan 2009 humanitarian mission” she related.

Patag punong barangay Manrico Prihas has also expressed his appreciation to the RP-US Balikatan medical team for choosing his barangay as the venue of the said humanitarian mission.

“It was a great opportunity not only for our barangay but also for neighboring barangays because of the free medical services provided to the residents,“ he said.

Meanwhile, Sorsogon governor Sally A. Lee, along with mayor Lilia B. Gonzales of Irosin, Brig. Gen. Tristan M. Kison, commander of the Joint Task Force Balikatan and Capt. Kelly J. Schmader, commander of the Joint Civil Military Operation Task Force, had visited the area for the two-day activities.

Lee expressed her appreciation to the RP-US armed forces for bringing in the humanitarian medical, dental and veterinary services, especially to the needy constituents of the province of Sorsogon. (NAlcovindas, Balikatan PIO/PIA)


MLHUILLER SENDOUT FORM – PROOF OF PHILHEALTH PREMIUM PAYMENT

LEGAZPI CITY — ML Kwarta Padala (MLKP) is now recognized as proof of premium payments of NHIP members effective February 13, 2009 per PhilHealth Circular No. 11, s-2009.

PhilHealth Bicol regional director Orlando Iñigo, Jr. said The MLKP send-out form is now an acknowledged receipt which serves as an official receipt issued by MLhuiller to paying NHIP members.

He explained that when electronically generated, the send-out form will have a 12 digit machine printed transaction code. “However, for off-line transactions, MLKP send-out form for Remote Transaction is issued with the transaction code manually supplied and signed by MLKP cashier/teller.

It has the following payment information: a) Member’s PIN/PEN, b) Member’s name, c) Member Type, d) Applicable Period, e) Amount Paid, f) Validation Date, and g) Remarks.

This is in line with the on-going pilot implementation of MLhuiller as PhilHealth collecting agent within the jurisdiction of PhilHealth Regional Office VI. All health care providers and PhilHealth Regional Offices are therefore advised with regards to the use of the MLKP Sendout Form, according to Iñigo. (PhilHealth Release/PIA)


PHILHEALTH ALERT ON SALMONELLA VIRUS

LEGAZPI CITY — PhilHealth Bicol regional director Orlando Iñigo, Jr. announced that PhilHealth members and dependents can now enjoy the New In-Patient Benefit Package effective April 5, 2009 if they are victims of Salmonella and in conditions when hospitalization is needed .

Iñigo noted that the occurrence of the salmonella alarm in several places in and outside the Philippines scares the public as it displays serious conditions caused by severe infections which are dangerous and could be fatal.

In a study reviewed by Dr. Dan Rutherfood, GP, it was revealed that Salmonella bacteria attack the stomach and intestines. They enter the lymph tracts, which carry water and protein to the blood, and the blood itself. The bacteria harm all age groups and both sexes. Children and the elderly and people who are already ill are much more likely to get a serious infection.

Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning include diarrhea or constipation, headaches, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting, fever and possibly blood in feces. A more severe infection may cause excessive diarrhea, stomach cramps and general health problems.

Consultation with health professionals is necessary and hospitalization in some cases is required for the treatment of the said symptoms.

Iñigo said that Salmonella poisoning is classified as a Case Type A illness, therefore, if a patient is confined in a Tertiary or Level 3 hospital, PhilHealth will shoulder P500 per day for the Room and Board, and for the duration of the confinement the Corporation shall allocate P4,200 for the compensable medicines and P3,200 for the required laboratory procedures.

Also included in the PhilHealth Benefit Package are the Professional Fee for PhilHealth accredited physicians. If the attending physician is a General Practitioner, a maximum amount of P1,200 is deducted from the doctor’s PF. However, if the physician is a specialist, the amount of P2,000 is deducted from his/her PF as the corresponding PhilHealth benefit,” he added.

“With the PhilHealth benefits during confinement, it is still best to safeguard ourselves from illnesses and diseases. Salmonella infections can be prevented by observing proper food handling and preparation,” he advised. (PhilHealth Release/PIA)


MASBATE REMAINS A POLITICAL HOT SPOT

MASBATE City - Four weeks after Bishop Joel Z. Bailon issued a widely publicized letter in which he exhorted politicians to “stop using people to kill people,” another man, known to be a bodyguard of an elected official was gunned down inside a passenger van in this City Wednesday morning (April 15).

Ardito S. Gailan, 48, of Barangay Villa Inocencio Placer, was on board a passenger van that had just left the city terminal at around 8:15 a.m. when a lone gunman flagged down the vehicle and shot him several times at close range.

Police said the van had just started moving when a man seated on a parked motorcycle waved to the driver. As soon as the van stopped, the man quickly alighted from the motorcycle and approached the van’s main passenger door and began firing. He drove toward the Barangay Tugbo segment of the national road shortly after shooting the victim who died instantly from five gunshot wounds in the head and chest.

Gailan, bodyguard of the son of Rep. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete and Mayor Joshur Judd of Placer, was the seventh victim of fatal attacks on politicians and political followers in the province.

Police said a .45 pistol could have been used in the killing.

The van’s driver, Sabino Badinas, said he could not recall the face of the gunman because he quickly disappeared and was wearing a pair of sunglasses.

Supt. Jeffrey S. Fernandez, Masbate City police chief, said investigators are still looking for the motive of the attack, although Gailan’s relatives accused the political rivals of his employer as being responsible for his death.

The victim, who also worked as a bodyguard of Masbate 3rd District Rep. Fausto L. Seachon Jr. before the latter was assassinated in Caloocan City in 2005, was reportedly feared by the political enemies of the Seachons. (EADelgado, PIA Masbate)


VILLAFUERTE RECEIVES COMMUNICATION EXCELLENCE AWARD

CAMARINES SUR Province — Governor LRay Villafuerte has another feather in his cap with a prestigious award barely six months after being named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) of the World Program Award for Business, Economic and Entrepreneurial Accomplishment by the Junior Chamber International.

Villafuerte was recently conferred with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines CEO EXCEL Award for Local Governance, in recognition of his leadership in steering this province as the most progressive in the Bicol region.

IABC Philippines is affiliated with IABC International, a prestigious awards body based in the United States, that recognizes and honors leaders worldwide, whether in the private or public sector, for their extraordinary skills as communicators and their accomplishments as models of best practices in organizational communication.

In conferring the award to Gov LRay, IABC Philippines referred to him as a “communicator-motivator,” “exploring and maximizing communication avenues to convey his message of opportunity, change and progress.”

He was also cited for transforming traditional local governance into a thriving economic enterprise, causing a paradigm shift that made the provincial bureaucracy into a professional organization through streamlining, re-training and strict adherence to the highest civil service standards.

Since assuming the reins of the provincial government in 2004, the young Villafuerte has transformed Camarines Sur from a largely agricultural province to what it is today: the education, information technology and tourism hub of the Bicol region.

In 2007 alone, Villafuerte catapulted Camarines Sur from 39th place in terms of net income among the country’s 80 provinces into the 10th richest province.

“A vision will remain as such and would not become a reality if you cannot communicate it effectively to your constituents and other stakeholders and motivate them to act towards attaining that vision,” he said.

“This is what we have done in the province – we conceived a sustainable and comprehensive development program and effectively cascaded it so that it would have the active support not only of our fellow workers in the local government but more importantly, by our constituents,” he further explained. (Cam. Sur. Multimedia Educ. Center Release/PIA)


TOURISM BILL NOW WITH PGMA

MANILA — Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said today that the Tourism Bill 2009 has finally reached President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and that she is expected to sign it soon.

He said he was informed by the Department of Tourism (DOT) only last Friday that the legislative measure had been transmitted to the Palace.

“I can assure the industry and all its stakeholders that the bill will be signed very soon,” Remonde said in a radio interview this morning.

“This is good news for all stakeholders in the tourism industry,” he added.

Remonde also thanked the various stakeholders in the tourism sector particularly taxi-drivers, hotel chambermaids, tourist guides and others for their role in making the Philippines among the preferred tourist destinations in Asia.

He likewise hailed the efforts of the President and Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano in marketing the Philippines as a haven for both local and foreign tourists. (PIA V Release)


PGMA REITERATES BELT-TIGHTENING DIRECTIVE

MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has reiterated her directive to all government agencies and instrumentalities to adopt strict belt-tightening measures and stop all unnecessary and wasteful spending in these “challenging economic times.”

In Administrative Order No. 261, the President pointed out that the government stands to generate P7-billion savings from a “government-wide, one-and-a-half (1.5 percent) reduction of maintenance, overhead and operating expenses.”

She noted that an Independence Day Parade alone costs the government about P30 million. As part of the cost-saving measures, the Independence Day Parade this June 12 will be shelved.

“Instead, a mega-jobs fair shall be organized to enable the 40,000 workers displaced by the global crisis find employment or livelihood,” AO 261 said.

The government, the President said, “must pour all savings and revenue into programs that help the poor and the middle class.”

AO 261, which the President signed on April 7, is a follow up to Executive Order (EO) No. 782 that she issued earlier this year.

Under EO 782, all government agencies and instrumentalities, including all departments, bureaus, attached agencies, government-owned and controlled corporations and government financial institutions, were directed to reduce their respective maintenance, overhead and operating expense (MOOE) budgets by 1.5 percent.

Savings generated by EO 782 was set aside for emergency employment for the next six months of 2009.

The President stressed that in early 2008, all government agencies and entities were directed to undertake electricity and fuel-saving measures, including but not limited to the consumption of fossil fuels, which was ordered cut down by 25 percent, and electric consumption by at least 10 percent.

Under the EO, air-conditioners should be turned off at 4:30 p.m. except those of offices with 24-hour work, while incandescent bulbs were ordered replaced with compact fluorescent lamp.

Similarly, 20 percent of vehicles owned by the national government were ordered converted to the use of natural gas.

In AO 261, the President directed that vehicles of the national government, including those of GOCCs, which are not “issued to an official and are not on official trip, shall be garaged in the agency office, and the keys shall be kept by guards, during weekends and holidays.”

The President also enjoined all local government units (LGUs) to adopt the cost-saving measures mandated under both EO 782 and AO 261 and other relevant issuances. (PIA V Release)


PALACE ECSTATIC OVER DONAIRE, VILORIA VICTORIES

MANILA — Malacanang was ecstatic over the victories of Filipino boxing champions Nonito Donaire Jr. and Brian Viloria over their opponents this morning at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde described the triumph of Donaire and Viloria as the “renaissance of the Philippines in boxing,” especially with the coming match of Manny Pacquiao against Ricky Hatton on May 3.

“It’s a great day not just for boxing aficionados but also for the entire Philippines to have two more titles in boxing,” Remonde said.

In an interview over DZRB, Remonde said he was lucky to have personally watched the boxing encounters at Araneta Center along with Vice President Noli de Castro, House Speaker Prospero Nograles, broadcaster Rey Langit, and other friends.

“I was also near former Senate President Franklin Drilon while former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada also watched the match from the other side,” Remonde said.

He said the presence of opposing political camps among the audience at Araneta is proof that sports, particularly boxing,“ is a great unifying factor for all people.

“I think what our country needs most is pagkakaisa and pagtutulungan hindi pagtutulakan,” he added.

Donaire, known as the Filipino Flash, successfully defended his International Boxing Federation (IBF)/International Boxing Organization (IBO) flyweight crown against his American opponent Raul “The Cobra” Martinez.

Donaire dumped Martinez by way of stoppage in the fourth round of a scheduled 12 rounds.

Viloria, called the Hawaiian Punch, stood toe-to-toe against Ulises Solis of Mexico in a classic ring battle for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light flyweight championship.

Donaire, born on Nov. 16, 1982 in Bohol, was raised in Gen. Santos City before moving at the age of 10 to San Leandro California.

Viloria was born on Nov. 24, 1980 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (PIA V Release)


MALACANANG PRAYS FOR THE RELEASE OF ICRC HOSTAGE

MANILA — Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, grateful about the release over the weekend of Andreas Notter, the Swiss national held captive by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu for over two months, thanked “everyone who has helped in his release” as he asked for more prayers that the last hostage will be freed or rescued soon.

Notter was first taken to the house of Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, who heads the local crisis management committee (LCMC), for first aid treatment before he was flown by a Cessna plane to the provincial hospital in Zamboanga for medical checkup.

The third foreign volunteer of the International Committee on the Red Cross (ICRC) still under ASG captivity is Italian Eugenio Vagne, who is reportedly very ill and needs immediate medical attention.

Remonde said he believes that a lot of people have helped the LCMC in negotiating for the release of Notter. He said the Bishops Ulama conference, the local residents and even the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces have done a lot in working for the release of Notter by the ASG.

Just two weeks ago, the first hostage, Filipina Red Cross volunteer Mary Jean Lacaba was released by the ASG and immediately taken for medical checkup and debriefing before being reunited to her family. The same procedure was done with Notter, who live reports said was complaining about why he was not allowed to be reunited immediately with his family.

Remonde said the release of Notter is good news not only for the Notter family but also for all those who have helped for his release.

“The government has steadfastly followed all the laws and refused to compromise the safety of the hostages or the sovereignty of the Filipino people. We will maintain our policy of not paying any ransom to the hostage takers,” Remonde said.

He said the police, the military, the Bishops Ulama conference, the locals and the LCMC have done their share one way or the other in ensuring the safety and release of the hostages. (PIA V Release)