BCS news

With the feast of Ramadan ending this Friday and the constitution of the government panel negotiating peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front now being rushed, President Benigno S. Aquino III said he is optimistic the peace process will start soon.

In an ambush interview after the mass oath taking of newly-appointed government officials at the Rizal Hall of Malacanang, the President said he had just appointed and sworn in the last member of the government negotiating panel, Luisito Montalbo.

President Benigno S. Aquino III inducted Tuesday Secretary Ramon Carandang and Undersecretary Manuel L. Quezon III, both of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office; Undersecretary Abigail de la Fuente-Valte as deputy spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Carmen Mislang of the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson in mass oath taking at the Rizal Hall of Malacanang.

Also inducted were other officials of the executive branch and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Lt. Gen. Ricardo David Jr. along with 66 generals, four of them reservists, from the different branches of the Armed Forces.

President Benigno S. Aquino III said Tuesday he does not plan to replace Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo over the tragic hostage-taking incident two weeks ago, reiterating that the DILG Acting chief was just tasked to focus on local government units.

The President stressed that Robredo’s appointment is in an acting capacity only, along with Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje and Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.

For Miss Universe 4th runner-up Ma. Venus Raj, her first encounter with President Benigno S. Aquino III is one 'major major' event she would never forget.

Stunning in her off white Philippine terno, the dusky 22-year-old considers meeting the President for the first time Wednesday as one big gift following her impressive showing in the yearly beauty international pageant.

In line with his advocacy to implement change in government, President Benigno S. Aquino III vowed to improve the working conditions of teachers whom he called "our nation's treasure."

In his speech keynoting the awarding ceremonies for the 2010 Metrobank Foundation's Search for Outstanding Teachers on Tuesday at Malacanang, the President said the days of corruption and the wasteful use of our resources are nearing its end.

Malacanang said there is a need to increase the tax base to increase collection and fund vital government projects and programs.

In a media briefing in Malacanang, Secretary Ramon "Ricky" Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) said additional collection from an expanded tax base will help fund the government's infrastructure and social services programs.

Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Sonny Coloma today defended the possible implementation of a partial open skies policy should the Philippine Airlines labor dispute remains unresolved.

In an interview over Radyo ng Bayan this morning, Coloma said the major road block to tourism growth is the restrictive civil aviation policy and that “it is time for us to review and adopt a more flexible policy for the development of our country.”

President Benigno S. Aquino III said today that he has suspended imposing additional taxes on toll fees pending further discussions on the issue.

Malacanang has opened a new interactive website which provides the public updates on the official events of President Benigno S. Aquino III and at the same time serve as a constructive feedback mechanism using the digital media.

President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared Saturday, August 21, as a special non-working holiday in observance of the death anniversary of his father, the late Senator Benigno "Ninoy” S. Aquino Jr.

Aquino gov't determined to put an end to Mindanao conflict

Malacanang expressed its determination to put an end to the decades-old conflict in Southern Philippines and finally achieve a long-lasting peace for Muslim-Filipinos.

Malacanang today welcomed the petitions filed before the Supreme Court questioning the legality of the Truth Commission, saying the Solicitor General is ready to defend the case before the High Tribunal.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo opened today (Monday, May 31) the 24-kilometre Sagnay-Tiwi road that connects the province of Camarines Sur to Albay, underscoring the project’s importance in linking two Bicol provinces with big tourism potentials.

Albay and Camarines Sur lie in the Central Philippines Tourism Corridor which has been the beneficiary of massive tourism-related investments under the President’s super-region development concept.

Presidential Deputy Spokesman Gary Olivar today expressed gratitude to members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for recognizing and endorsing in their recent survey the achievements of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in infrastructure development, economic growth and stability and her administration‘s pro-life policy.

But Olivar said Malacanang remains puzzled by the "failing marks" the CBCP members supposedly gave the President in other key national concerns, when surveys and figures he said, showed indicative gains by the Arroyo administration.

Presidential Spokesperson Ricardo L. Saludo today issued this statement, urging the incoming president to accept Justice Renato Corona as the duly appointed next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, effective next week:

"We echo the call of our esteemed Chief Justice (Reynato) Puno for the next president to respect the rule of law and accept Justice Corona as the duly appointed next CJ."

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will lead at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Sunday, May 16) the blessing and soft launching of the Dr. Eva Macaraeg-Macapagal National Center for Geriatric Health (NCGH).

Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Anabelle Abaya today expressed hopes that the next President will continue the ongoing peace efforts, as she cited the government’s gains made by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in peace building efforts during her term.

To ensure the uninterrupted delivery of public serves during the transition period before the new President assumes office on July1, Malacanang is asking all government departments to immediately prepare individual transition blueprints.

The results of the May 10 elections notwithstanding, there will be no change in the direction and pace of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s agenda of transition, stability and legacy during the remaining 50 days of her term, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Gary Olivar said today.

Malacanang, in an initial assessment of today’s election exercise, voiced confidence that the automated polls will be a success as reports streaming from different parts of the country showed a positive trend.

Presidential Spokesperson Ricardo Saludo today said everybody -- the voters, election officials, election volunteers and the security forces -- deserve commendations for the conduct of today’s historic vote.

Malacanang is confident that Monday's (May 10) election will push through, adding it will come out as an honest, peaceful and fair political exercise.

More than one million poor families have been amortizing their own homes instead of renting since 2001, when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo assumed office.

Filipino International awardees in science and technology presented to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today their awards that brought honor to the country.

The country's business leaders today said the full benefits of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's economic and social reforms will continue to be felt in years to come.

The Presidential Management Staff (PMS) will head the committee that will facilitate the smooth turnover of Malacanang to the newly elected president when the term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ends on June 30, Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza said today.

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Malacanang appreciates the legal opinions of Justice Secretary Alberto Agra on the matter of appointing judicial vacancies and the issue is being studied further by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for her final decision.

The government has deferred the April 1 effectivity date of the collection of the 12 percent expanded value-added tax (EVAT) on toll fees to a later date.

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga - Press Secretary Crispulo Icban Jr. today urged all high school graduates of 2010 to take up college courses in information technology, tourism and the scientific methods of agricultural and industrial production, which are in demand here and abroad.

TIPO-TIPO, Basilan - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo found a considerably improved security condition in this former lair of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), during her first visit last Wednesday (March 24) to this town to inspect the progress of road project.

Noted educator and former De La Salle University (DLSU) president Brother Rolando Dizon, FSC, is giving President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo a grade of B or 85 for her performance as head of state, asserting at the same time that she will eventually be vindicated from the negative impressions by her critics.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo welcomed back Filipino boxing superstar and WBO Welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao who called on her in Malacanang after arriving from the United States this morning.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today announced a package of benefits for the country’s close to 120,000 armed forces personnel, principally to include yearly increases in basic pay until 2010.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today placed Mindanao under a state of calamity to enable the national and local governments to cope with the crippling power crisis caused by dry spell attributed to the El Nino weather phenomenon.

PANGLIMA SUGALA, Tawi-Tawi – Even in this faraway province down south, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is making sure her legacy projects would leave an indelible imprint among the local constituents.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today presided over the assumption of command by new Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Delfin N. Bangit, who she said, will ensure the continuity of the military’s role in keeping the nation strong.

BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will visit this province on Thursday (March 11) to personally inspect the status of the ongoing Tawi-Tawi Bridge Road Partnership Project (TBRPP), one of the Chief Executive’s major infrastructure programs in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

AMPILISAN, ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo resumes her Agribusiness Mindanao tour with a visit to Western Mindanao or the Zamboanga Peninsula tomorrow (Thursday, March 11).

Press Secretary Cris Icban Jr. today assured that government operations remain on track, with the new appointees to the Cabinet providing continuity of services as they took over from those who resigned recently to seek elective positions in the May 10 elections.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo instructed today the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) to immediately relocate almost 200,000 informal settlers living along the shorelines of Laguna de Bay.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo instructed today the Cabinet to come up with quick and cheap solutions to end Mindanao’s power problems.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said today that her administration has loaned out some P340 billion through various lending schemes to micro, small, medium entrepreneurs and these helped generate some six million jobs.

Malacanang today said that the new team in President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s cabinet will be a working team that will ensure continuity in government services and operations until the end of her term in June.,

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today announced the appointment of Philippine Army Chief Lt. General Delfin N. Bangit as incoming Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines , vice Gen. Victor Ibrado, who is retiring on Wednesday, his 56th birthday.

TOLEDO CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, after inaugurating here today a new 82-megawatt coal-fired power plant, said the Visayas power problem is over and the region will no longer "import power from Luzon."

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Charito Planas today described President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo an “infrastructure icon” for spearheading an aggressive infrastructure program that, among others, has built a total 48,585 kilometers of national roads since 2001 compared to only 34,326 kms of three previous administrations.

The Philippine economy, fueled by better gold and nickel prices and the resurgence of electronics exports, will be better this year than in 2009.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue will implement several administrative measures to meet its P830-billion collection target this year.

STA. BARBARA, Iloilo - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said here today the Philippines is ready for the first-ever nationwide automated polls this May.

The attendance of former President Joseph Estrada, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and opposition senators Aquilino Pimentel and Rodolfo Biazon in this morning’s National SecurIty Council meeting in Malacanang augurs well for the country’s unity.

Malacanang assured today that the multiple murder case against the suspects in the gruesome massacre of 57 innocent civilians in Maguindanao will be pursued notwithstanding any Supreme Court ruling on the legitimacy of the martial law declaration in the area.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to immediately look into the Mount Mayon situation in Albay after state volcanologists raised alert level three in the area Monday night.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today stood her ground on the question of martial law declaration in Maguindanao, saying what she did was a decision based on sound information, a clear reading of the Constitution and a deep desire to quell rebellion and restore order.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo leaves tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec. 16) for Copenhagen to push the Philippines’ call for a deeper cut in the greenhouse gas emissions of developed economies and long-term global cooperative action to address the alarming effects of global warming and climate change.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today signed into law Republic Act 9741, which strictly imposes a logging ban in the third district of Negros Occidental.

BANISILAN, North Cotabato- What used to be a dream for many residents of this remote municipality of North Cotabato is now a reality, thanks to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's goal to link the Philippines through an efficient system of highways, ports, and airports to spur economic progress in the countryside.

Malacanang today welcomed the internal investigation being conducted by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) among its ranks to identify those involved in the kidnapping of Irish priest Father Michael Sinnott.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today extended her sympathies to the families of those who perished in a fire early this morning in Bacolod City which claimed 16 lives.

The government has dropped its demand for the arrest of three rogue commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as a precondition for the resumption of the stalled Mindanao peace talks. The new government position removes a major obstacle to fresh efforts to end the decades-old Mindanao conflict through peaceful means.

ALABEL, Sarangani -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo this morning handed over a P50-million check to Task Force Mindanao River Basin to implement a comprehensive master plan curbing perennial flooding in Cotabato City and the provinces of Maguindanao, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will inspect today the newly-installed state-of-the-art anti-crime equipments of the Manila Police District (MPD) to find for herself the present capability of police authorities to address all forms criminality in the city.

STA. CRUZ, DAVAO del Sur - The government's energy security thrust designed to hike the country's energy sufficiency to 60 percent by 2010 and contribute significantly to the reduction in damaging carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere is on track.

CLARK, Pampanga - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will visit here tomorrow to grace the "Tribute to the Past Presidents" affair of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Pampanga Chapter to be held at the Holiday Inn Hotel.

During the Philippine Economic Briefing held at the Dusit Thai Hotel in Makati City, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said that the government will accelerate infrastructure investments this year to insulate the country from the global crisis and sustain economic growth with more than 1,000 top local and foreign businessmen, the country’s economic managers who earlier presented our country's healthy fiscal and economic situation and hotel general manager Prateek Kumar.

Malacanang said yesterday that poor but deserving public high school graduates who will be chosen as their municipalities as "Town Scholar or Iskolar ng Bayan" can now be assured of a college education in a certain state university or college.

Malacanang has set the stage for the temporary employment of 180,000 Filipinos from the middle and middle-low income classes and the poorest of the poor as part of the government's strategy to cushion the impact of the deepening global financial turmoil.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo commended the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for being the first state agency to comply with Republic Act 9485 of 2007 or known as the Anti-Red Tape Act. The President made the commendation during her brief visit to BOC headquarters in Manila to personally check on the agency's successful implementation of Anti-Red Tape Act and its reportedly enhanced operations efficiency.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo distributed 31 checks worth P2.7 million at Cagayan de Oro as livelihood assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Mindanao who lost their jobs in the aftermath of the global economic crisis.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed the Republic Act 9521 (RA 9521) a law creating the National Book Development Trust Fund to Support Philippine Authorship. RA 9521 otherwise referred to as the National Book Development Trust Fund Act that seeks to provide Filipino authors reasonable amounts to help them complete their manuscripts for publication.

It's good that JocJoc Bolante, et al will now have their day in court to prove their innocence in the event that a case against them is eventually filed in court. The findings of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee have to be submitted or filed with the Ombudsman, or the Department of Justice for preliminary investigation where Bolante will be given his chance to answer any complaint against him.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo distributed 31 checks worth P2.7 million at Cagayan de Oro as livelihood assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Mindanao who lost their jobs in the aftermath of the global economic crisis.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will inspect today the newly-installed state-of-the-art anti-crime equipments of the Manila Police District (MPD) to find for herself the present capability of police authorities to address all forms criminality in the city.

August 12, 2009
1. Refurbishment of computer room
2. Replacement of roofing, Ceiling joist, ceiling board...

Fifty-seven (57) rebel-returnees from the Cordillera Autonomous Region (6), Pampanga (13), Panay Island (7) Bicol (5) and Caraga (26) were awarded a total of P1.14 million as immediate economic assistance by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo under the government’s Social Integration Program (SIP) at the Heroes hall in Malacanang. Each of them received P20,000 as immediate cash aid to start life anew in mainstream society.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo directed the Philippine Veterans Office (PVAO) to put up temporary processing centers in provinces with large number of Filipino veterans to help speed up the processing of benefits for Filipino veterans who fought alongside American soldiers from 1941 to 1945 in World War II, as provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will inspect the Porac-Gumain River Irrigation System Project in Floridablanca, Pampanga to assess the progress of the ongoing dredging of the waterway on February 24, 2009.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo arrived early this morning at the end of a successful one-week, five-country trip to pursue her campaign for and behalf of the world's poor and emerging economies, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), World War II (WWII) Filipino veterans, and promote the Philippines as the best alternative investment site in the region.

A multi-sectoral summit that aims to discuss strategies that would preserve jobs and generate more employment amid the global economic crisis will be held at the Heroes Hall, Malacañang today, 09 February 2009. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will address the event with the theme “Joining Hands Against The Global Crisis”. This the event which the The President earlier directed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to organize to mitigate the impact of the global crisis on local and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) of the Department of Trade and Industry is holding the 9th e-services Global Sourcing Conference Exhibition on February 9-10, 2009 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who believes that the ICT sector can provide the much-needed jobs at this time, will grace the annual event.

Ret. Gen. Romeo Espiritu, President of ISAC Class 69 Alumni Association expressed confidence that the proposed building will be started the soonest possible time with the pledge of support from the Class 69 members.

STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO DURING THE 2ND REGULAR SESSION OF THE 14TH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES,
28 of July 2008