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| The Makati . Business Forum | Forum Updates 2004 |
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| The Makati . Business Forum | Forum Updates 2004 |
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.. December 2, 2004
Brought to you by:
Excalibur PR Mgt. Consultants
Visit
our Makati Business Forum Channel at OFW-TV ► Please click here GMA reassures local officials on
IRA ...
... P1-miilion each in 2005 In case, however, the outcome of the budget deliberations falls short of expectations, local government units (LGUs) would receive P1 million each in their 2005 IRA, the President said.
"Let me thank the mayors who offered to defer 50 percent of their IRA to help solve our fiscal problem," she told the mayors. She
said she hoped that the P1 million would be used to help the local
officials carry out their share of the task required for the success of
her administration’s ten-point legacy agenda. ... LGUs lobby in Congress The President also thanked the local government officials for their support for congressional approval of her revenue reform proposals. The local officials, led by provincial governors, had met with members of both Houses of Congress and urged them to fast-track approval of the President’s revenue measures. "Because you have been campaigning with them (members of Congress) and because of their own sense of urgency and patriotism, I am confident that Congress will pass the revenue measures we have forwarded which will mean that, hopefully, your towns may not need to take the IRA cuts after all," she said. ... Manifesto of Support She congratulated the local mayors for their manifesto of support and resolution expressing their full backing of her ten-point legacy agenda. The President also expressed appreciation for the "goodwill of our mayors to cut across party lines in pushing economic development." ... Assistance
to typhoon victims She offered her condolences to the families and the mayors of the towns stricken by the series of typhoons that hit the country in the past three weeks. The President assured the officials of the localities hit by the recent calamities that all government agencies concerned were working together to save lives and extend all possible assistance to the victims. (Excalibur News) ▲ top NPAs ambush AFP rescue team in
flood-ravaged Bulacan; 10 soldiers killed, 6 wounded ... DURING THE HEIGHT OF TYPHOON “WINNIE” YESTERDAY, members of the New People’s Army (NPA) ambushed a team of unsuspecting soldiers conducting rescue and relief operations in San Rafael, Bulacan. Ten soldiers were killed and six others were wounded. Among those killed was an unnamed officer. ... On
Their Way to Rescue Flood Victims The
soldiers were elements of the 56th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine
Army sent on a rescue and relief mission in the flood-ravaged barangay
of Pasong Callos, in San Rafael, Bulacan. The Army Civil Relations
group in Camp Servillano Aquino, San Miguel, Tarlac City said the
soldiers were on their way to rescue flood victims at the height of
typhoon "Winnie" when they were attacked. "Local residents lamented that while soldiers were risking their lives and limbs to help calamity victims, the New People’s Army took advantage of harsh weather conditions and, without regard to the pressing needs of the masses, ambushed the unsuspecting soldiers," the Army said in a statement. ... A
"Cowardly and Criminal Act” of the Highest Order Malacañang
today condemned yesterday’s incident as a "cowardly and criminal
act of the highest order." Press Secretary and Presidential “It is supposed to be a time for all of us to extend a helping hand to those who were affected by misfortune, not an opportunity to commit murder," Bunye (right photo) said. He pointed out that the victims were on a "relief and rescue mission and there is no way the attack can be excused or justified." The
killing of the soldiers cast a dark shadow on the nation’s efforts to
come to the aid of tens of thousands of distressed Filipinos in several
provinces hit by disasters. (Excalibur News) ▲ top NDCC
reports a total of P7.64 M in assistance to typhoon Winnie victims ... The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) reported to
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, that as of yesterday, a total
of P7.64 million in assistance has been so far released to the victims
of tropical depression "Winnie" that hit low-lying areas of
Central and Southern Luzon. The
NDCC said that out of this amount, P2 million has been released to the
local government units of the provinces of Camarines Norte, Aurora,
Quezon and Bulacan for the purchase of 2,500 sacks of rice. Another P3
million was also released from the NDCC special fund for the purchase of
food and other items. Despite
deferring her visit to typhoon-hit areas, the President went to the NDCC
headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo yesterday where she was briefed by
Defense Undersecretary for Operations Ernesto Carolina on
"Yoyong," and the relief operations for the victims of
tropical storm "Winnie." Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz,
Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman (right photo)
and Armed Forces Chief
of Staff Gen. Efren Abu were present during the briefing. Carolina
informed the President that as of that morning, 182 were confirmed dead,
27 injured, hundreds of people are still missing, and 37,100 families
displaced by "Winnie." ...
The
Department of Social Welfare and Development has
distributed relief goods worth of P878,825.00, cash assistance of P1.4
million, and allocated standby fund in the amount of P300,000. Local
government units have extended assistance in various amounts totaling
P70,209.00.
The
NDCC said that emergency responders from the Armed Forces of the
Philippines, other agencies and the local Disaster Coordinating Councils
were dispatched to the flood and landslide stricken provinces of Nueva
Ecija, Aurora, Quezon, Bulacan and Rizal while search and rescue
operations were conducted by joint elements of the AFP, Southern Luzon
Command (SOLCOM) and Philippine Coast Guard in the affected areas. (Excalibur
News) ▲ top GMA
orders NDCC to step up preparations for typhoon "Yoyong" President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directed all agencies under the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to step up preparations for typhoon "Yoyong" (international codename: Nanmadol). The
President ordered 14 agencies under the NDCC to hold an emergency
meeting to prepare for the possible effects of "Yoyong." One
of the directives that the President issued was the pre-positioning of
food supplies and medicine for distribution to affected areas once
"Yoyong" strikes. The
President issued the order during her surprise visit to the NDCC
headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo yesterday. ... A Hands-on President Earlier,
the President motored to the base operations of Villamor Air Base in
Pasay City to personally oversee the uploading of 1,600 family packs of
relief goods ready to be airlifted by the Philippine Air Force to
Infanta, one of the hardest hit towns in Quezon. From
Villamor the President motored to NDCC in Camp Aguinaldo and from there
proceeded to Rodriguez, Rizal where she personally conveyed her
condolences to the families of seven who died in the flashfloods. The President also led the distribution of relief goods to 450 evacuees from six barangays of Rodriguez directly hit by flashfloods during the height of the typhoon last Monday. (Excalibur News) ▲ top Declare State of Calamity, Reyes Urges Local Execs of Typhoon Affected Regions
In
a memorandum to local government executives, Reyes said that based on the
information from the PAG-ASA conveyed to the National Disaster Coordinating
Council, Typhoon Yoyong would hit land today in provinces of Aurora and Quezon
and the entire Southern Luzon area. ... Precautionary Measures In
anticipation of this, Reyes said the local executives of Regions 1, 2, 3, 4 A
& B, 5, Cordillera Administrative Region and the National Capital Region
must take the necessary precautions to protect people and property from
unforeseen damages that the typhoon will bring in. He
urged the local officials of the said areas to undertake relief,
reconstruction, rehabilitation and other work and services and to implement the
following: organize disaster preparedness and response teams, activate
evacuation sites and clear canals and drainages. “As
heads of local disaster coordinating councils, you must spearhead disaster
relief activities,” Reyes pointed out. “You must mobilize all resources
within your respective localities. The national government is doing its share
too to caution the impact of this typhoon and the President has mobilized all
agencies concerned to assist those affected.” ... Evacuate Areas Around Angat Dam Reyes
at the same time, enjoined Bulacan Governor Josefina M. Dela Cruz and the
municipal mayors of Angat, Baliwag, Bustos, Norzagaray, Plaridel, Pulilan and
San Rafael to immediately coordinate with the National Power Corporation or
NAPOCOR on the schedule of water releases from the Angat Dam and to evacuate
all residents in barangays that maybe affected. Earlier,
the NAPOCOR has announced that it has been releasing water from Angat Dam due
to the effects of Typhoon Winnie and that it shall continue releasing in
anticipation of Typhoon Yoyong. (Excalibur News) ▲ top Reyes
Urges Local Execs to Activate their Disaster Coordinating Councils
Reyes
specifically enjoined local chief executives and officials of the provinces of
Aurora, Quezon, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines “Although their disaster preparedness plans are already in place, this is just to remind our local chief executives, as chairmen of their respective local disaster coordinating councils, to make the necessary preparations for the safety of their constituents,” Reyes who is also vice chair of the national disaster coordinating council, said. ... Putting the PNP on “Disaster Alert”
... Taking Pro-Active Measures He also urged local chief executives especially in the affected areas to use their calamity funds for disaster and relief operations. Likewise, Reyes called on all local officials to continuously undertake anti-disaster measures such as clearing and unclogging of esteros, canals and water passageways in their areas of jurisdiction to prevent floods in case of heavy rains. He explained that typhoons visit the country on the months of November and December, causing floods that cause untold damage to lives and properties. (Excalibur News) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The
Chief Executive made the commitment when she addressed the 1,495-strong
League of Municipalities of the Philippines this morning on the final
day of the LMP’s 14th general assembly at the Manila Hotel.
Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye said that the area where the soldiers were
ambushed is under a state of calamity.
Combined Relief and Rescue Efforts
The
Department of Health has provided 200 cadaver bags and five bags of lime
intended for the recovered bodies from landslide sites in Infanta and
Real, Quezon.
DILG
SECRETARY ANGELO T. REYES (left photo) today
Sur, Catanduanes, Polilio
Island, Sorsogon, Northern Samar and Burias Island where signal no. 2 were
hoisted, and the provinces of Masbate, Romblon, Marinduque, Rizal, Bulacan,
Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Benguet, La Union,
Ifugao, Isabela, Mountain Province, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Abra, Kalinga,
Cagayan, Apayao, Eastern Samar, Western Samar and Biliran Island where signal
no. 1 were hoisted to activate their respective disaster coordinating councils.