PIA Dispatch (08 June 2010)

PGMA off to Shanghai

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo left today for Shanghai, China to attend ceremonies marking the 35th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-China diplomatic relations and to grace the Philippine Honor Day at the Philippine pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

The Philippines and China established diplomatic relations on June 9, 1975. Since then both countries have transformed bilateral relations to a healthy partnership covering many areas of cooperation.

Almost 100 bilateral agreements in the field of trade and investments, finance, agriculture, air transportation, tourism cooperation, scientific and technical cooperation, defense, transnational crime, judicial cooperation, consular matters, culture, sports, youth cooperation and media and information cooperation have been signed between the two nations.

Today, China is among the most important nations with whom the Philippines enjoy bilateral ties.

The President will meet with Shanghai Party Secretary and Chinese Politburo member Yu Zengsheng and members of the Chinese business community.

The President, together with Party Secretary Yu will launch tomorrow the Chinese edition of the joint commemorative cover to mark 35 years of Philippines-China relations.

The envelope which was also launched last June 3 by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo in Manila and Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao, features the Chocolate Hills of Bohol and Mt. Lushan of Jiangxxi Province, which became “sister mountains” in 2006 following the establishment of sister-province arrangements between Bohol and Jiangxi.

The President will also be the Guest of Honor at the Philippine Honor Day at the Shanghai World Expo where the Philippines has set up a pavilion.

The Philippines is among 42 Asian countries participating in the expo, which aims to promote Philippine interests in China, not only in the area of tourism but more importantly in trade, investment, cultural and political relations.

Capping the President’s schedule is a banquet hosted by the Chinese government in her honor with a gala show commemorating Philippines-Chinese relations.

The President was sent off by Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Armed Forces Chief Of Staff General Delfin Bangit, Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Versoza and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao.


PGMA to lead RP day at Shanghai World Expo

SHANGHAI – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s visit here to grace the Philippine National Day tomorrow (Wednesday) is expected to add significance to the participation of the Philippines in the Shanghai World Expo which continues to draw crowd from all over the world.

The President, who will arrive here tonight from Manila, will lead festivities at the country’s pavilion tomorrow at the sprawling expo site located at the heart of this booming city overlooking the Huangpu river in the eastern part of the Mainland.

Press Undersecretary and Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Rogelio Peyuan said the Philippine pavilion here will showcase the best of Philippine culture and accomplishments of the administration in the tourism and economic sectors.

“This will serve as a fitting tribute to the best that is Filipino,” said Peyuan on the eve of the 35th anniversary of Philippine-China diplomatic ties here. “Our participation will also serve as a confirmation of our close ties with China which has been one of our biggest trading partners over the years.”

Among those expected to perform on the Philippine National Day are the UP Madrigal Singers and the Ballet Philippines dancers.

A book entitled “A Selection of Folk Tales from the Philippines for the Young Chinese Reader” will be launched during the visit of President Arroyo to increase the awareness of the Philippines and the Filipinos among Chinese children.

“The book is a selection of ten (10) illustrated Philippine folk tales, translated into Chinese,” Philippine Ambassador to China Francisco L. Benedicto said. “This is a simple project but profoundly significant in increasing the understanding of the Philippines and the Filipinos among Chinese children. The book seeks to introduce the young Chinese reader to distinctively Filipino beliefs and traditions. ”

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing initiated the book project in cooperation with the Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) and Liwayway Corporation to mark the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China on June 9.

Ambassador Benedicto said the following 10 Filipino folk tales have been chosen to be included in the book to represent the various islands and ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines: The Origin of the Stars (Tagalog); The First Coconut Tree and the Creation of Man (Tagalog); Why the Pineapple Has Many Eyes (Hiligaynon); The Legend of Lapulapu (Cebuano); Origin of Rice (Tagalog); How Fire Came to Man (Ilocano); Origin of the Monkey and the Crocodile (Tagalog); Mariang Makiling (Tagalog); How the Firefly, Bat, Mosquito, Field Lizard and Light Bug Acquired Their Characteristics (Tagalog); and A Tiny Bird (Maranao).

Translation of the folktales into Chinese was done by teachers, students and alumni of the Philippine Studies program of Peking University, Ambassador Benedicto added.

The book, with initial printing of 10,000 copies, for distribution, at no cost, to select primary schools all over China, was illustrated by Maria Natalia Pilar V. Burgos and Maira Martina M. Vega, both young Fine Arts graduates of Far Eastern University.


RP keeps watch over Korean situation

Malacañang is monitoring the tension in the Korean peninsula not only due to its regional security implications also its potential impact on investment inflow from South Korea, deployment of overseas Filipino workers there and the steady influx of Korean tourists in the Philippines.

During the Cabinet meeting today, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Acting Director General Augusto Santos presented the Global Recession Impact News (GRIN), which updated the Cabinet on economic trends and scenarios as they relate to the rising tension between North and South Korea.

Briefing the Malacanang media later, NEDA National Policy Director Dennis Arroyo said the Korean security situation will impact on Japan and China which are the among Philippines top trading partners.

“China is in a bind because it invested about $10 billion in the north or about 70 percent of North Korean gross domestic product and if the north collapses, there will be a flood of refugees to China so they want stability in the peninsula,” said NEDA’s Arroyo, describing a possible scenario.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Gary Olivar said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has inquired from Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo about the situation of the overseas Filipino workers particularly in South Korea and determine if there is an immediate need to have them shipped back into the country.

For now, no action is needed yet and we continue to monitor closely the situation in Korea, Olivar said.


Palace all set for June 12 rites

All is set for Saturday’s celebration of the 112th Philippine Independence Day at Manila’s Rizal Park during which President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will deliver her last Kalayaan message to the nation.

The President is expected to render a summation of her nine years of presidency before viewing a grand civic-military parade that will showcase her achievements in her 10-point national agenda.

The June 12 celebrations will begin with a simultaneous nationwide flag raising to be led by President Arroyo at 7 a.m. at the Rizal Monument flagpole.

Director Nilo Agustin of the Department of Tourism, project director of the Independence Day 2010 celebration, told a Malacanang press briefing today that a P10-million budget has been prepared and it will come from different line agencies.

The 10 floats and the order of their presentation will be as follows: Float 1 for Budget Reform; Float 2 for Education-for All (with 15 finalists and five grand awardees for Ulirang Kabataan from the different schools in the country); Float 3 for automated elections; Float 4 for transportation and digital infrastructure (to include 50 to 100 big bikers who will accompany the float); Float 5, depicting the terminating of hostilities with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the New People’s Army; Float 6, Hallmarks of EDSA 1 and 2; Float 7, Electricity and Water for All (to include gymnasts); Float 8, Opportunities for Livelihood and the creation of 10 million jobs (in reality a total of 13 million jobs had been created under the Arroyo administration); Float 9, Decongesting Metro Manila (the efforts of Vice President Noli de Castro to relocate people north and south of Manila) and Float 10, the development of Subic and Clark.

The last float called Inang Bayan will showcase outstanding Fiipino Global achievers like boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao; Efren Peñaflorida, CNN Man of the Year 2009; child singing sensation Charise Pempengco; and Finance Secretary Gary Teves, international finance man of the year.

Aboard the final float, diva Bituin Escalante will render the piece, Kalayaan Tagumpay ng Bayan, as float passes by President Arroyo and guests from the diplomatic community, her Cabinet and sectors.

An alternate grandstand that can accommodate more than 1,000 guests has been put up by the Department of Public Works and Highways for this Saturday’s celebration, since the old grandstand, built in the 1930s, is being rehabilitated by contractor FF Cruz, Agustin said.

Also featured in the June 12 rites is a 112-voice choir coming from the choral groups of the different government agencies who will be joined by three child-singers.

As in the past two Independence Day celebrations, there will also be Job Fairs at the Rizal Park, organized by the Department of Labor and Employment.

The Metro Rail Transit and Light Railway Transit will offer free rides to the public on June 12 at 5 to 7 a.m.


400 mayors thank PGMA for LGU projects

I think I’m still dreaming when I reached Manila in just seven hours.

Thus said Renaldo Bitong, the 78-year-old mayor of Casiguran town in Aurora, when he came to Manila to join some 400 mayors in Malacanang today to convey their collective thanks to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for the various projects that benefited their respective constituencies.

Bitong was teary-eyed as he recalled the ordeal he and his people would had to go through for decades when traveling from his town to Manila which used to take them 14 hours, by sea and land.

But with the completion this year of the P2.73 billion Baler-Casiguran Road, a major infrastructure project of the President under the Northern Luzon Agriculture Quadrangle (NLAQ) concept, travel from remote Casiguran according to Bitong has been effectively reduced by several hours by land.

“I came here to personally thank the President for the Baler-Casiguran road that cut down our travel time to Baler from eight hours to 2.5 hours,” Bitong said during the luncheon at the Heroes Hall of Malacanang.

“At my age, I still cannot believe that I reached Manila this fast. If you experienced how difficult it was to come here, you would definitely cry for help. But now, no more. You will just cry of joy,” he added.

The P2.733-billion Baler-Casiguran Road project, that includes 19 newly- designed bridges, was one of the priority programs committed by Arroyo during her State-of-the-Nation Address (SoNA) in 2008 in an effort to bring development to Aurora, one of the 20 poorest provinces in the country.

The President led the inauguration of this 120-kilometer road project last February which is one of the vital regional road linkages under the Arroyo’s NLAQ program.

“Our town is a remote area that many have not reached or even known. So, we are very thankful to the President when she gave our small town such big attention,” Bitong said.

During the luncheon, Arroyo, casual in violet pantsuit, table-hopped to greet the mayors and gamely posed for souvenir photo as goodbye gesture to the outgoing President.

“Thank you for all the support,” Arroyo said as she shook hands with each of the more than 400 mayors.


Palace welcomes proclamation of winning President, VP

The Palace today expressed satisfaction over the completion by the National Board of Canvassers in Congress of the national tally for the 2010 presidential and vice presidential races.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman Gary Olivar said Malacanang welcomes tomorrow’s proclamation of the winners.

(Senator Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay were declared winners for the presidential and vice presidential contests.)

“We look forward to the proclamation on schedule of the new President and Vice President of the country. It will be certainly be the high mark of a an electoral process that happens regularly to this country and in this year, in particular, an additional testimonial to the outgoing president who made the automation of the elections during her term one of the commitments to the people,” Olivar said in a press conference today.

The proclamation is a day behind the original schedule because of the delay in the tallying of votes from Lanao del Sur today. As of press time, the joint committee is tallying the last certificates of canvass.

Olivar said the Palace is looking forward to the continuation of the transition process with the soon to be proclaimed President and Vice President. He added that President Arroyo is placing the entire government at the disposal of the incoming next administration.

Olivar also called on the people to give all support for the incoming administration.