Written by Philippine Embassy Staff - Feb 08, 2008 at 01:47 PM   
 

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PGMA's Speech During the 17th anniversary celebration of the Philippine National Police (PNP)
Multi-Purpose Hall, Camp Crame, Quezon City
February 06, 2008

Governance

"Those who dream of doing things to disrupt our progress are out of touch with the hopes and dreams of the average Filipino. We have been through many upheavals and time and again, the people have indicated they want a stable government and economic progress -- that is what they are getting now."
"You have made it easy for us to follow the roadmap laid out by the Melo Commission to get at the bottom of unexplained political killings. We have been meeting with success in the fight to put an end to the legacy of political violence in the Philippines."

Peace and Order

"With the priority you have given that legacy, we will continue to bring perpetrators to justice, jail criminals, and exhort the nation to leave behind its terrible legacy of political violence. Thanks to your investigations and arresting perpetrators, political killings were down 83 percent last year. Congratulations as well for decreasing last year's total crime volume by 7.4 percent."

"We need today as much as ever all the hallmarks of our police forces, male and female -- patriotism, loyalty and professionalism which you have all shown as epitomized by our awardees but also the entire
organization. With the support of our policemen and policewomen, we will leave this nation stronger and more secure for all. With your support, we will continue to provide increased stability, economic
growth and peace and order."

"Patuloy tayong magkaisa. ang PNP sa ibabaw ng mga katangiang pinakita ninyo itong nakaraang taon. Pinakita ninyo ang pagkakaisa.  Ituloy natin ito tungo sa higit na ligtas, mapayapa at maunlad na sambayanan." ###end

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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Speech during

The 17th Anniversary Celebration of the Philippine National Police (PNP)
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Multi-Purpose Hall, Camp Crame, Quezon City

Thank you very much Secretary Puno for your introduction.

Former President Ramos, not only former president of the Philippines but also former Chief of the Philippine Constabulary; General Razon and the other officers and men and women of the Philippine National Police; members of the diplomatic corps; colleagues in the Armed Forces and the civilian government agencies; benefactors and friends of the Philippine National Police; awardees; ladies and gentlemen.

Sa ating mga mamang pulis at aling pulis, happy anniversary sa inyong lahat!

At taos-pusong pagbati sa lahat nang tumanggap ng parangal kanina. Una sa lahat, nabigyan natin ang isang biyuda ng isang pulis na nagbuwis ng buhay para magsagip sa iba. Nagbigay din tayo sa mga nakasolusyon at nakahuli doon sa nagbomba sa Batasan at doon sa nakasagip kay Father Bossi mula sa kamay ng mga teroristang kidnapper at nagbigay tayo ng pinakamataas na parangal doon sa mga nagpamalas ng kagalingan at katapatan sa tungkulin noong pangyayari sa Manila Pen.

Yung nangyari sa Manila Pen pinapakita that people want political stability, a bright economic future and social justice. Those who dream of doing things to disrupt our progress are out of touch with the hopes and dreams of the average Filipino. We have been through many upheavals and time and again, the people have indicated they want a stable government and economic progress -- that is what they are getting now. And thanks in no small measure to mamang pulis and aling pulis.

Tamang-tama rin yung special award sa Human Rights Office dahil nga ang tema ng anibersaryo ninyo ay, "Mamang Pulis: Tagapagtaguyod ng Karapatang Pangtao Tungo sa Kapanatagan ng Mamamayan."

And together with you, in fact, you have made it easy for us to follow the roadmap laid out by the Melo Commission to get at the bottom of unexplained political killings. Thanks to Mamang Pulis and we should say Aling Pulis because the head of the Human Rights Office is a woman. We have been meeting with success in the fight to put an end to the legacy of political violence in the Philippines.

And with the priority you have given that legacy, we will continue to bring perpetrators to justice, jail criminals, and exhort the nation to leave behind its terrible legacy of political violence. And thanks to your investigations and the building-up of evidence and arresting perpetrators, political killings were down 83 percent last year. Congratulations! But we must not rest until we reach zero.

Pinupuri ko ‘yung mga ginagawa ng human rights office ng PNP. Yung mga seminar at panukala ng PNP upang pagtibayin ang inyong mga regulasyon at tradisyon nagtatanggol sa karapatan ng bawat mamamayan.

And congratulations as well for decreasing last year's total crime volume by 7.4 percent. And especially, I'm sure the Chinese community -- Don Emilio and the other members of the federation and the business club -- will thank you especially, the kidnapping went down by half. Congratulations also for that!

And congratulations for your neighborhood partnership program which was cited by the U.N. Agency for Asia and Far East Institute for Crime Prevention and Treatment of Offenders as a model for community participation in crime prevention. That institute also noted the pnp's achievements against the trafficking of persons, particularly child sexual exploitation.

And so you have devoted yourselves to the protection of human rights not only in the political sphere but in the sphere of women and children's welfare. Malapit na ‘yung Children's Month. Dati-dati nagsi-celebrate tayo ng PNP anniversary sa Enero pero ginawa nating Pebrero Ngayon, early February, dahil Hindi pa natin Alam noon nung hinahanda ninyo ito kung kailan ako babalik mula sa Davos at Dubai. Mabuti na rin dahil tayo ay nasa runup na patungo sa selebrasyon ng Women's Month at magandang pagkakataon lalo na dahil sa naganap niyong gantimpala tungkol sa child protection against sexual abuse, tungkol... pwede nating i-highlight ngayon yung mga ginagawa ng pulis para proteksyunan yung mga bata at mga kababaihan.

Ang Women and Children's Concerns Division ay pinalakas natin, pinalakas ninyo bilang Women and Children's Protection Center. And I am glad that after ordering the hiring of 2,000 policewomen in 2006, equivalent to four battalions, now we can unveil the center as the country's first all-woman police outpost.  And I was saying that this center should also serve as a prototype station women's desk. Not that all the other stations should be all women but that woman's desk or the cubicle should showcase a woman's touch. It should be in cool pastel colors or feminist purple. It should have victim-friendly reception rooms. It should have shelves that will display ‘help' literature on domestic violence, and it should have a clean comfort room.

Pero mayroon na rin tayong all-women SWAT team at CDM team mula sa regional special actions units ng NCRPO at sa Quezon City Police District. Sana nakatulong ito kay Police District Director Gatdula na siya ay nakakuha ng Outstanding na Police District Office dito sa Metro Manila. We will meet the all-women swat team later. We will present them to the media. And they should be able to respond to extreme cases of domestic violence when hostage taking is involved. We want to show that police girl power is not limited to sisterly counseling. It packs a mean firepower as well.

We need today as much as ever all the hallmarks of our police forces, male and female -- patriotism, loyalty and professionalism which you have all shown as epitomized by our awardees but also the entire organization. With the support of our policemen and policewomen, we will leave this nation stronger and more secure for all. With your support, we will continue to provide increased stability, economic growth and peace and order.

Patuloy tayong magkaisa. Ang PNP sa ibabaw ng mga katangiang pinakita ninyo itong nakaraang taon. Pinakita ninyo ang pagkakaisa. Ituloy natin ito tungo sa higit na ligtas, mapayapa at maunlad na sambayanan.

Kaya sa inyong lahat, sa inyong anibersaryo, hindi ko na uulitin yung mga benepisyong inulat ni General Sonny Razon. Ang sasabihin ko na lamang, congratulations sa inyong magandang gawain!

Mabuhay ang PNP!

maraming Salamat sa inyong lahat.

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Chinese envoy cites 'positive progress' in RP-China relations


There have been a number of "positive developments" in the relations between the Philippines and China, according to the ambassador of the People's Republic of China (PROC) to the Philippines.


Speaking at the Spring Festival Reception that he hosted for his Chinese countrymen at the Manila Hotel Monday night (Feb. 4), Ambassador Song Tao stressed that the year 2007, among other
accomplishments, "witnessed the positive progress of China-Philippine relations."


With President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the guest of honor and speaker in the Chinese New Year dinner, Ambassador Song enthused that bilateral trade between the Philippines and China "grew by 30.8
percent to $30.6 billion, with the Philippines enjoying a surplus of $15.6 billion."


"The frequent high-level exchanges and contacts further deepened our mutual political trust while pragmatic cooperation in various fields has brought about substantial fruits," the ambassador said.


Ambassador Song noted that the two countries "have reached three years ahead of schedule the trade target volume of $30 billion for year 2010 which was set out by (PROC) President Hu Jintao and President (Gloria) Arroyo."


The Chinese envoy -- who thanked the Philippine government for its "consistent adherence to the One-China Policy and support for China's great cause of reunification" - added, thus:


"Friendship and cooperation between China and the Philippines serves the fundamental interests of our two peoples. The Chinese government is determined to further push forward the China-Philippines strategic and cooperative relations, work hard for further deepening of pragmatic cooperation in the area of trade, investment, tourism and culture."


"I am sure that, with the common effort of our two governments and peoples, mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation between China and the Philippines would bear fruitful results," Ambassador Song concluded.

When it was her turn to speak, President Arroyo held the Chinese ambassador to his word "fruitful results," stressing, thus: "We hope to see the nickel and other Chinese investments come to fruition soon."

Three Chinese companies -- Jichuan, Citic and Jilin Nickel - are just "some of the investors who have expressed interest in projects in the Philippines," the President said as she revealed that "we are looking
to develop our $1 trillion worth of mineral reserves across the country." ###end

 

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PGMA bullish about long-term RP-China economic relations


President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said on Monday night she is bullish not only about the continued growth of the economies of both the Philippines and China, but also the two countries' long-term relationship.

China has not only vaulted to the top of the list of the Philippines' biggest export markets, dislodging the United States, but it has also emerged as one of the country's top sources of foreign investments.

Addressing leaders and members of the Filipino Chinese community during the Spring Festival Reception hosted at the Manila Hotel by the Chinese embassy in Manila, President Arroyo said:

"We are bullish about the long-term economic prognosis of our two countries and we are even more bullish about our relationship with each other."

The President added that "an aggressive foreign policy is essential to the lifeblood of the Philippines, that is why we are so gratified -- reflecting on our relationship during this Chinese new year's eve -- that the Philippines and China and our relations with each other have so much to expand and build on in 2008."

For starters, the President cited three Chinese companies - Jichuan, Citic and Jilin Nickel - as "some of the investors who have expressed interest in projects in the Philippines."

"In terms of mining, China is one of the world's biggest consumers of metal so, for the mining industry, this represents a significant opportunity in terms of mining exploration, development and mineral exports, particularly at a time when we are looking to develop our one trillion dollars worth of mineral reserves across the country," she said.

"We hope to see the nickel and other Chinese investments come to fruition soon," she added.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Song Tao led Chinese embassy officials at the dinner reception.

The President said "with Beijing hosting the 2008 Summer Games, the Olympics, and China's rise as the third-largest economy in the world, China's performance is also expected to bring heightened economic
progress in our region."

China's rise as an economic giant, the President said, is a "significant opportunity for the Philippines" as she stressed that the Philippines' "overall relations with China are now more confident, mature, and comprehensive."

The RP-PROC relations are "punctuated with substantial and important projects, not just the legal mines, many projects aimed at deepening exchanges in a number of areas, including trade and investment," she said.

She pointed out that China is now the Philippines' largest "export market and as Ambassador Song Tao has said, we have had a substantial trade surplus with China since 2002."

"Our framework agreement on expanding and deepening bilateral economic and trade cooperation is further enhancing bilateral merchandise trade with China," said President Arroyo, who advised that both countries should endeavor to close the income-inequality gap.

But the President pointed out that although "both our economies are booming - the Philippines with 7.3 percent... and China with its continuing double-digit growth -- like so many places in the world, whether rich and poor alike, we must both fight to close the gap in income inequality."

In the face of uncertainties in the global economy, the President said she remains "cautiously optimistic that both our countries have worked to manage our economy so that we can weather any storm -- whether it be economic or a snow storm or a typhoon in the near term."

In her address, the President wished the "Chinese people all over the world, and especially the Chinese people and the Filipino-Chinese in the Philippines, a happy and prosperous Year of the Rat... (and) may we all have a meaningful and progressive 2008 ahead." ###end

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Highest growth of economy in 31 years concrete proof PGMA making the right things - Palace
5 February 2008

The 7.3 percent growth of the gross domestic product (GDP) last year - the fastest expansion in 31 years -- is concrete proof that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is making the correct moves and
doing the right things in managing the Philippine economy, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Anthony Golez said in a statement today.

Golez was commenting on the report of the National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) this morning that the economy expanded by 7.3 percent in 2007, well above the government's own forecast for the year of only 6.1-6.7 percent.

GDP is the total amount of goods produced and services rendered within an economy in a given period.

The economic growth last year was led by the robust services sector whose output grew 8.7 percent.

Industrial output increased 6.6 percent, while farm production rose 5.1 percent.

Golez said the President would "continuously lead the country until 2010 with a bigger stride in economic growth, surge of more foreign investments, more jobs for our people, strong currency and better delivery of basic services that will also be benefiting the poorest sector of our society."

The NSCB attributed the economy's best performance in more than three decades to an environment of benign inflation, low interest rates and a strong peso.

"On the demand side, increased consumer spending, investments in public and private construction, government spending and exports of non-factor services largely contributed to the remarkable performance of the economy," the NSCB added.

Industrial output rose 6.6 percent, while farm production increased by 5.1 percent, NSCB reported.

The gross national product (GNP), boosted by the remittances of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), grew 6.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007 from a year earlier and 7.8 percent in the full year.

GNP includes income from abroad.

Golez added that with the imminent slowing down of the US economy, the government would continue to invest in people and projects, particularly in areas with the highest multiplier effects and in infrastructure that will upgrade the competitiveness of the Philippines" to sustain the growth momentum.

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