PIA Dispatch (26-27 May 2010)

New Bicol port seen to boost inter-island commerce

San Pascual, Masbate -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will inaugurate a new strategically-located RoRo (roll-on-roll-off) port in Bicol when she visits this town for the first time on Thursday (May 27).

The P46.3 million RoRo port here, conceptualized as a “bridge between Luzon and the Visayas,” was completed last year but blessing and inauguration will be held when the President sets foot in this remote town on Thursday.

President Arroyo will be the second president to visit this town, after her father President Diosdado Macapagal, who was here on December 28, 1962.

The port project was supervised by the Philippine Ports Authority under the Strong Republic Nautical Highway program of the President.

San Pascual, is bordered by Camarines Sur in the north, Albay in the east, Bundok Peninsula of Quezon in northwest, and Sibuyan Island of Romblon and Ticao Island of Masbate in the south.

This town, a 3rd class municipality with an income of P63.7 million in 2009, produces copra, cattle, hogs, goats and fish products. The town is located at the northernmost tip of Burias Island, one of the islands that make up Masbate province. It is has 22 barangays with a population of 41,736.

"We are very happy that the President will visit us even if we are just a small municipality in this island of Masbate," San Pascual Mayor Zacarina Lazaro said.

The new port can accommodate bigger cargo and passenger vessels passing through routes to and from Quezon, Masbate, Romblon, Cebu and Davao.

The upgraded port facilities include a (9m x 11m) RoRo ramp, (6m x 7m) trestle deck and two (2) sets of 9-pile breasting dolphin. The port also is a safe docking port for cargo vessels during tropical storms.

With this port's strategic position, Lazaro said trade and commerce in and around the province will be significantly enhanced, with the benefits seen to trickle down directly to the municipality and its people.

"It opens bigger trade market for us as we can now easily bring our products to Camarines Sur, Quezon, Romblon, Cebu, General Santos in Davao and some other provinces in Visayas and Mindanao'" Lazaro said.

Lazaro also said the port will boost local tourism as San Pascual has numerous tourist spots like Sumbrero Island and Tinalisayan Island which are inhabited by green sea turtle or pawikans.


Independence Day parade to feature PGMA’s strong republic

This year’s 112th Independence Day celebration on June 12 will restore the pomp and significance of the civic-military parade at the Rizal Park Grandstand (Luneta) in Manila.

“For the last two years, we have been focusing on major programs and projects of the government and did away with the usual civic military parade. This time, we are returning the parade to showcase the achievements of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo especially before she bows out on June 30,” said Ludovico Badoy, executive director of the National Historical Institute (NHI), which was designated the lead agency for this year’s Independence Day celebration.

This year’s parade will feature 10 floats highlighting the 10-point agenda during the nine-year term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. An eleventh float will honor the country’s modern-day heroes, particularly those who have made names for themselves here and abroad in their respective fields of endeavor.

Badoy will flesh out the details for the Independence Day celebration and the coming Flag Awareness Day on May 28 during this afternoon’s meeting of the Technical Working Group, which he chairs.

The Independence Day festivities will be launched on May 28, with Education Secretary Mona Valisno as the guest of honor and speaker in an event in Cavite City to commemorate the Battle of Alapan where the Philippine flag was first hoisted at Teatro Caviteno by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in 1898.

Flag will be simultaneous raised nationwide at 8 a.m. To give homage to the flag, NHI will ensure that the Philippine flags are prominently placed in all major thoroughfares.

Badoy also urged both the public and the private sectors to proudly display the flag not just outside their offices but also outside their homes.

On Independence Day, “we expect the President to be there at 6:45 a.m. and lead the flag raising simultaneously with other local government officials all over the country,” Badoy added.

There will be the usual simultaneous flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremonies at 7 a.m. at the Rizal monument.

The parade will take place in the afternoon. There will be a fireworks display immediately after the parade.

To help Metro Manila residents celebrate Independence Day, the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) may give free train rides (for rapid transit systems like MRT-2, MRT-3 and Light Rail Transit).


PGMA successor to inherit a stable bureaucracy -- Palace

Malacañang today expressed confidence that the next administration will inherit a government in good state and with stable bureaucracy.

Presidential Management Staff Director-General Maria Elena Bautista-Horn said that the blueprint for next month’s turnover includes a situationer on the state of government that the next administration is going to inherit.

“I can look them straight in the eye with all pride that we delivered the bureaucracy in good condition to the next president,” Bautista-Horn said.

She said that the Malacañang transition plan that covers the different functions of the offices in the bureaucracy and the assets and resources that will be transferred to the next administration was presented in cabinet meeting Tuesday and was approved.

Meanwhile, Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza said that if President Arroyo’s successor so desires, Malacañang is willing to walk him through the Palace grounds and offices just like what outgoing US President George W. Bush did to his successor Barack Obama at the White House in November 2008.

“We are open to that (walk-through visit). As a matter of fact, that is part of the preparations we are doing,” said Mendoza during a press briefing in Malacañang where he was joined by Secretary Bautista-Horn.

Bautista also said during the briefing that the Arroyo administration will be turning over to the incoming administration a little over 1,000 unfilled middle to high level positions.

“We did not fill the vacancies up because these are positions which had been vacated by those who were promoted and which we did not touch anymore,” said Bautista.

For the co-terminus appointees, we have 67 vacancies of which 25 are plantilla posts and 42 are non plantilla posts (or positions that automatically gets dissolved when President steps down).

The 67 does not include heads of agencies and the attached bureaus of the 21 line departments, 181 bureaus and attached agencies under the Office of the President which will all be vacated since most of them are co terminus with the President.

On whether they would give the incoming administration any advise or suggestion on how to fill up these positions, Bautista said “we are not in a position to give unsolicited advise but we are here to oversee the smooth turnover of the bureaucracy to the next administration.”

Definitely the career officials will be staying on and the Civil Service made it that way “because you need an institutional memory to ensure the continuation of services to the people,” she said.


DepEd: No need to ban “jejemon”

Despite concerns over “Jejemon,” or text messaging that distorts the use of English language and spelling, the Department of Education (DepEd) is not inclined to ban its practice among schoolchildren.

Education Secretary Mona Valisno said during a press briefing in Malacanang that instead of resorting to a policy banning “jejemon”, she just called the attention of the teachers on the need to inculcate proper values, including communication skills on the young as these are necessary for them in high school and even college.

“We want to maintain our dominance in communication skills, which has made our country very attractive to investors in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector because our people have very good communication skills and are easily trainable,” Valisno said.

“But I will not go to the extent of banning it in elementary schools or high schools. I am just urging the teachers to ensure that proper communication skills and values are continuously imparted to the students. We do not need to issue a memorandum or impose penalty for such practice,” Valisno stressed.

“I only became aware of ‘jejemon’ from media. I only order the teachers not to allow wrong English, wrong spelling and wrong grammar. Even when my grandchildren text me in wrong grammar or wrong spelling, I never reply,” Valisno said.

“We would like to encourage our children to text in the correct way, correct construction of sentence, correct English, grammar and spelling because they would need this practice in their higher years,” Valisno said.

“Practice makes perfect. So if you resort to wrong practice, then the outcome is also wrong. Just like in piano if you resort to wrong finger dexterity, you can’t correct that anymore,” Valisno added.

Meanwhile, Valisno said with the bigger population, the expected school enrollment this year will increase to 23.43 million, with about 20.17 million in public schools and 3.26 million in the private schools.

We will do all we can to accommodate all of them in school but we cannot refuse anyone who come to our public school system, Valisno stated.

Valisno said they are also strictly monitoring public schools that are exacting or collecting contributions from the students or their parents, adding “we will also not tolerate mandatory school uniforms and books.”


May 28 Araw ng Pambansang Watawat

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed AO # 284 directing the NHI as lead in the organization and implementation of the 112th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12,2010. This year’s theme is “KALAYAAN: Tagumpay ng Bayan.”

According to NHI Exec. Director Ludovico Badoy presiding the first

Formal meeting of the TWG, the celebration of the Flag Day or Pambansang Araw ng Watawat May 28 shall commence this year’s Independence Day.

Dep. Education Secretary Mona Valisno leads in this year Flag Day programs which coincides with the Battle of Alapan in Cavite along with the local government officials of Imus, the NHI, the member agencies of the June 12 NOC and the student population.

Dep. Education Sec. Valisno issued Dep.Ed memo order # 210 directing all schools nationwide for the display of the Philippine Flag from May 28 to June 12,2010.circular.

Also, the province of Imus,Cavite has lined up fitting activities for this year’s Flag Day celebration which starts with the annual Flag raising and wreath laying ceremonies, Miguel Santo and Alapan Tableaux a, parade at 7 in the morning.

Further, DILG Usec. Austere Panadero issued memo circular # 35 enjoining all Local Chief Executives to conduct simple but meaningful activities such as Flag raising ceremonies, wreath laying rites in honor of national and local heroes with a display of the National Flag in government buildings, major thoroughfares, as well as in public parks, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, departments stores, malls and banks starting May 28 to June 12,2010. (B.L. Peñera-PIA)