CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar
– Samar’s 2nd District Representative Sharee Ann Tan announced that
EC de Luna, contractor of the Samar Maharlika Highway along
Calbiga-Tizon road section assured her that the on-going construction
is set to be finished either last quarter of this year or first
quarter of 2009.
In her speech as her
mother Governor Milagrosa Tan, celebrated her 50th birthday at the
Imelda Park yesterday, the young Tan added that she has P20 M for the
for rehab of Laygayon/Lale Pinabacdao road stretch.
She also said that it
would take some P300M to effect the repair as the damage due to heavy
rains is very big.
Mother and daughter
team distributed two kilos of rice earlier to Catbaloganons victims of
the severe flooding.
Samar has suffered
severe damages in agriculture and infrastructure due to the torrential
rains that has lasted for two weeks now.
Although the whole
province only has one reported casualty from Pinabacdao, still the
flooding has caused several landslides, roadslips causing new damages
to the on-going rehabilitation of the Calbiga-Tizon road stretch and
the supposedly done San Juanico-Calbiga stretch.
The young
representative also explained that she voted yes to the motion re
change of speakership because she believes in unity.
Tan took the
opportunity to speak to the barangay officials gathered from several
towns to celebrate with mom Governor Tan on her 50th birthday.
PGMA directs DA to
ship more NFA rice to all flood-hit pacific seaboard areas of RP
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
February
24, 2008
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte
– President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has directed the Department of
Agriculture to ship more rice to all the flood-hit areas, not only in
Leyte and Samar, but in all of the Pacific seaboard from Bicol to
Davao Oriental.
The President’s
directive comes in the face of the reports that in
Eastern Visayas, 60,379 families consisting of 305,735 people from 596
barangays in
Eastern Samar, Samar, Northern
Samar and Leyte, were affected by the flooding brought about by the
incessant rains in the past 11 days.
Agriculture Secretary
Arthur Defensor who was with the President during her visit to
Tacloban enroute to Dolores, Eastern Samar on February 23, agreed that
the shipment of rice is the most critical at the moment but the need
for rice will go on even as the flood waters go down.
Secretary Defensor
said that initial assessment in the flood-hit areas showed that 30,000
hectares of the 4 Million hectares of rice lands programmed for this
year, have been affected by floods. What the Department of Agriculture
see is that about 10,000 hectares affected which will not recover.
For that, Secretary
Yap said that DA has about P5 Million in emergency seed support that
is ready. When the waters go down, the Department of Agriculture will
distribute the production support right away, Secretary Yap enthused.
DSWD Secretary
Esperanza Cabral who was also with the President’s entourage reported
that the Department of Social Welfare and Development has already sent
a total of 3000 family food packs, 1500 family clothing packs and
augmented with P1 Million for Region 8 for the immediate necessities
associated with the floods.
For his part,
Presidential Assistant for Eastern Visayas, Secretary Victor Domingo,
informed the President during the interaction with the media at the
DZR Airport VIP Lounge, that he has already provided Eastern Samar
with 200 sacks of NFA rice through Office of Civil Defense Director
Salvador Estudillo.
Secretary Domingo
added that on Thursday, he personally gave Congressman Teodulo
Coquilla, a P1.5 Million check from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes
Office to buy some food and medicines. He added that the President
will also give another P1.5 million to Eastern Samar Governor Ben
Evardone when she goes to Dolores later that morning.
The President
informed the media that she will give her other directives after
listening to the report of the National Disaster Coordinating Council
which was scheduled to meet in Dolores, Eastern Samar.
Kiko to Mrs. Arroyo:
You failed to act appropriately
Press Release
By Office of Senator Kiko Pangilinan
February 24, 2008
"It is difficult to
believe that PGMA only knew about the kickbacks late in the day," –
Kiko
PASAY CITY,
Philippines –
After PGMA admitted
that she learned about the irregularities of the ZTE deal the night
before she witnessed the signing of the contract, Senate Majority
Leader and Independent senator Kiko Pangilinan today criticized Mrs.
Arroyo for continuing with the project even if things are looking
black.
"It is difficult to
believe that PGMA only knew about the kickbacks on the eve of her
departure for China. Still, assuming for the sake of argument that the
President is telling the truth that she only found out late in the day
about the allegations of bribery and kickbacks, why then did she not
order a thorough investigation of the criminal acts committed and in
the meantime insist that the contract signing be placed on hold
instead of going ahead, traveling all the way to China to be a
witness to its signing?" Kiko asked.
It will be recalled
that last April 21, 2007, Mrs. Arroyo personally traveled to China to
witness the signing of five contracts between the Philippines and the
Chinese government.
"In other words, if
what she says is true, her subsequent acts of proceeding with the
approval of the contract proves that at the very least she tolerated
and condoned criminal activities. At worse she was party to it. Either
way it appears she failed to act appropriately and may have betrayed
the public trust by this failure. Finally, her cancellation of the
contract happened seven months after the signing and only after the
bribery and overpricing were exposed in the Senate hearings. What did
she do during the seven months that she had known about the illegal
acts? With all due respect, the President was forced to cancel the
contract only after it had become a major scandal. She has painted
herself into a corner by this admission." Kiko ended.
PGMA distributes cash
assistance, relief goods to ES flood victims
By ALICE E. NICART (PIA Eastern Samar)
February 23, 2008
DOLORES, Eastern Samar
– President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited here today flood-trodden
Eastern Samar province and distributed some cash assistance to the
families of flood victims.
Amid a cheering
Doloresnon crowd the President, clad in black pants and white blouse
but accented with a red scarf, alighted from her car and shook hands
with the people near her and proceeded to the Municipal Hall’s
Conference Room, where she was briefed about the extent of damage by
Governor Ben Evardone and Secretary Anthony Golez of the National
Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).
In the presentation,
President Arroyo interrupted in between to order DPWH ASEC Jimmy
Pacanan to expedite bidding and awarding procedures in order to fast
track rehabilitation of the major route leading to the province. ASEC
Pacanan in turn informed the President that his office is working
round the clock to finish all needed task. The bailey bridge at
Macabut bridge in McArthur is expected to start servicing commuters
next week to facilitate the major route connecting Eastern Samar to
the rest of Region 8.
Not long after, she
distributed some P20,000 cash to each family of flood victims. With
the amount, the President hopes the affected families can start anew.
Aside from the 12 families, 500 more flood victims received family
packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Leonora Robredillo, 48
a laundry woman from barangay 10, showed this writer the sores in her
hands, but the same hands received the family packs of three kilos
rice, sardines and noodles.
"I am happy that I
have this bag of goodies," she said. "Maybe, I can rest my hands for a
few days because of this provision, also I am most happy that I saw
President Arroyo in person," she said with a big smile in her face.
Prior to the
President’s visit, Governor Ben Evardone and Congressman Doloy
Coquilla separately conducted relief and rescue operations,
notwithstanding the individual mayors who likewise did their part in
distributing assistance. With the enormity of the damage, the two top
leaders of the province just have to cover quickly more victims in
their relief operation, thus the separate operation.
Since February 13,
torrential rains have placed Eastern Samar in a disadvantage condition
leaving more than P500M in infrastructure damage and P126M in
agriculture loss.
The following were
the family/recipients of President Arroyo’s cash assistance: Juan
Tunacao (Borongan), Elsa Café (Dolores), Roberto Operario (McArthur),
Antonio Caspe, Sr. (Can-avid), Ilumida Acude (Taft), Evelyn Geradela
(San Julian), Janet Rivera (Dolores), Flavia Baltar (Dolores),
Laureano Capones (Maydolong), Laureano Capones (Maydolong), Laura
Bernadine Ingoy (Jipapad).
PGMA to visit flooded
Eastern Samar barangays
By ALICE NICART (PIA Eastern
Samar)
February 22,
2008
BORONGAN CITY, Eastern
Samar – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is set to visit Eastern
Samar tomorrow, Saturday, to personally inspect the extent of damage
wrought by massive flooding and attend to the pressing needs of the
flood victims.
A reliable source said
that the President will distribute cash assistance to the families of
the 12 casualties of the flood here, aside from a number of bicycles
she will distribute to the barangays of Gap-ang, Jicontol and Osmeña.
On her way to Dolores
town, the President will have an aerial view of the flooded barangays
which will be supplemented by two power point presentation that will
follow later when she goes to the municipal hall where in waiting are
the province’s officials, Dolores municipal employees, barangay
officials, Dolores folks and the provincial media.
In his report today,
Governor Ben Evardone said that he has himself went with some military
officials who conducted ahead an aerial survey and true enough despite
the fact that it did not pour today, still several barangays in
upstream Dolores are dip in waters.
Evardone was saddened
at the sight of the rice fields which are still soaked in flood.
“I believe we will
decrease our Palay harvest this summer and the farmers must have lost
several thousands of their agricultural investments to the flood,”
Evardone said. “But, let us not weary,” he said and even quoted
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in her recent message before the
Makati Business Club, when she said “let us face tomorrow confidently
“.
Earlier in the PDCC
meeting, to mitigate the problems of the farmers, the
Governor committed to reduce the price of the Hand Tractors which DA-OPAS
opens to farmers for loans. Because of the current crisis, the
tractors will now be reduced by 50% from its original P80,000. Each
unit now of the tractor will only cost P40,000 as the other half would
be subsidized by the Provincial Government.
November 9, 2007
was the last time President Arroyo visited Eastern Samar.
PGMA reaches out to
Eastern Samar flood victims
By ALICE NICART (PIA Eastern
Samar)
February 22,
2008
BORONGAN CITY, Eastern
Samar – Despite the far distance, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
through Governor Ben Evardone immediately deployed yesterday relief
and rescue operation in severely flooded barangays of Eastern Samar
province.
To dovetail with the
President’s plan, Evardone’s team proceeded to the northern tip
villages of Taft town where a few of their two-storey houses were
submerged in water.
Barangays Binaloan,
Lumatod, Burak, Mabuhay, San Pablo and San Rafael all of Taft are all
flooded, being situated along river banks, Evardone reported live
directly from the site over Radyo ng Bayan DYES. He stressed that a
total of 1,019 family packs were all he had, adding that those were
initial allocations from the President. He further appealed to the
other victims of the province for their forbearance as relief and
rescue operation may reach them in days because of the large number of
victims to be reached upon.
“But we will be there
soon, just bear with us,” Gov. Evardone announced. “We will do our
level best to reach you out, specially that this is the wish of our
President,” he added.
The report added that
a family in barangay
San Pablo, who lost their 12-year old daughter, Grace Ann Acude will
be given assistance.
It was gathered, that
the victim, together with another girl was gathering drinking water
from a well across a stream. On their way home however, the river was
already overflowing with rushing waters. The survivor narrated that
they had to got hold of a vine, but the strong current pushed her
friend even harder to the middle of the river until she went out of
her sight.
The Provincial
Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) have Acude the second youngest
victim, next to a ten-year old boy from Guiuan who is still missing
after he went out fishing with his elders at the height of heavy
rains.
Chiz wants all
proposed loans submitted to congress
Press Release
By Office of Senator Chiz Escudero
February 21, 2008
PASAY CITY,
Philippines – Senator Francis 'Chiz' Escudero demanded Malacañang to
submit all contracts and agreements entered into by the government
under the official development assistance (ODA) to the oversight
committee for ODA which he chairs.
Escudero stressed this
even after the palace announced the suspension of 11 infrastructure
projects under the ODA fund.
The senator also said
that existing, proposed and potential "project loans and program
loans" for future fiscal years should be submitted ahead to Congress
together with the proposed national budget so these can also be
approved.
"The practice now is
to submit the budget with program loans and project loans proceeds
already embedded in it. What we want are prospective ones, not the
ones that are already signed, sealed and delivered" he said.
Escudero stressed that
under the law, the congressional oversight committee on ODA is tasked
to review all ODA contracts and agreements, in addition to the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Commission
on Audit.
"If Malacañang through
the Procurement Transparency Group (PTG) that it created had submitted
these ODA contracts to the business sector for scrutiny and review, it
is but proper that my committee be also given copies as this is
readily mandated by Republic Act No. 8182, as amended by RA 8555,"
Escudero said.
Section 8 of RA 8182,
as amended by RA 8555 says that "pursuant to its constitutional
duties, the Executive Department, particularly NEDA, the Commission on
Audit and Congress shall discharge Oversight functions, to wit: (c)
there shall be a Congressional Oversight Committee composed of the
Chairmen of the Committee on Ways and Means of both the Senate and the
House representing the majority and two (2) members each from the
Senate and the House representing the minority to be designated by the
leaders of the majority and minority in the respective chambers".
He said that more than
the private sector and the PTG, it is the oversight committee on ODA
that has the power to look into these contracts entered into by
government including the now controversial national Broadband Network
project.
"For greater
transparency in all government transactions, Malacaňang should heed to
this call, otherwise, this PTG is just another moro-moro in the
fashion of the Ombudsman's initiative to investigate the ZTE scandal".
Senator Escudero had
been calling for the convening of the congressional oversight
committee for overseas development assistance (ODA) to prevent and
avoid wanton approval of loans contracted with neither congressional
consultation nor consent. "Congress has been reduced to a rubber
stamp, with no choice but to provide budgetary cover, because it
cannot rescind what have become sovereign guarantees", he said.
"I have been calling
for the convening of the oversight committee, together with our
counterpart in the Lower House, after NEDA botched up a couple of ODA
projects, particularly in this NBN-ZTE deal and the Commission on
Audit has yet to present its review of each and every ODA contract
entered into by government as required by law," Escudero said.
If this scheme will
be followed then future loans will have the effect of getting "the
imprimatur" of Congress and wanton loans like the ZTE and Cyber Ed
projects could be already avoided, he said.
