MikeLigalig.com

Fewer Filipino families now consider themselves "poor" compared to the previous quarter of the year, according to a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The Second Quarter 2007 SWS survey conducted in June found that while nearly one in every two Filipino families (47 percent) -- or roughly 3.8 million households nationwide -- still consider themselves poor, this was lower than the 53 percent (over 4.2 million households) who considered themselves poor in February.

Across geographical areas, self-rated poverty was at 52 percent in the Visayas, 49 percent in Mindanao, 47 percent in the rest of Luzon and 36 percent in Metro Manila -- all lower than in the previous three quarters.

It was also lower at 41 percent in urban areas and at 54 percent in rural areas. "From March 2005 to February 2007, urban poverty was between 46 percent to 56 percent, and rural poverty was between 49 percent to 64 percent," the SWS said in a statement released Tuesday.

The private polling firm added that the decline occurred "in the context of a lowering of families' living standards" -- in other words, belt-tightening.

The National Statistical Coordination Board put the official poverty threshold nationwide at P6,195 a month -- the amount needed by a Filipino family of five to meet its most basic food and non-food needs for this year.

The self-rated poverty threshold is defined as the monthly budget that poor households say they need in order not to be poor.

The survey, directed at household heads, first showed the respondents a card that contained the words "Not poor", "On the line" and "Poor" and were asked where they would place their family given the choices.

Those who answered "poor" were then asked, "How much money would your family need for home expenses each month in order not to be called poor anymore?"

Among poor households in Metro Manila, the median poverty threshold was only P9,000, although it had already reached as much as P15,000 several times in the past.

In Luzon outside Metro Manila, the threshold ranged from P5,000 to P7,000 in the past two years, whereas it had reached as high as P10,000 earlier. In the Visayas, the threshold was at P6,000 for the past year, even as it had reached P10,000 previously. In Mindanao, the threshold is currently at P4,000 even though it reached P10,000 before.

"A declining poverty threshold, despite rising cost of living, means that households are lowering their living standards," the SWS said.

It also noted that the current Metro Manila median poverty threshold of P9,000 per month was only equivalent to P6,259 in base year 2000 purchasing power. "The last time that the deflated poverty threshold for [Metro Manila] was below P7,000 per month was twenty years ago, in 1987," the SWS said.

It also noted that in 2000, the median poverty threshold for Metro Manila of P10,000 was now equivalent to P14,380 a month at the June 2007 cost of living. "The difference of... P5,380 between the thresholds of 2000 and June 2007 measures the extent of belt-tightening that took place," SWS added.

The survey was conducted from June 27 to June 30 using face-to-face interviews with 1,200 adults divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. It had a margin of error of plus-minus 3 percentage points.

The SWS survey questions on poverty were not commissioned.

source: www.inquirer.net

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Great article, pre. I'm glad to know that overall--our bayan is doing good. Lets pray that it continues this trend. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

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mao gani.... we have still this worthliving life, the "KAKHA-TOKTOK" method.  Kumusta ka na diha silingan sa una? Kayod pod ba in order not to belongs to the so called: No longer poor Filipinos? Hinay-hinay lang

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 like me pod

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Kamo lang! Ako poor lang gihapon! huhuhuuhuhu! 

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Manpower Export in the Philippines are one of the big contributors of this success. Ironically, OFW's are also the ones affected & loosing by this economy improvement. Unfotunately, as the economy soars, the exchange rate of Peso against the Dollar decreases. Like in my situation; before, I used to send money at 14 Peso per Saudi Riyal. Now, it barely reaches 12. That is a 14% reduction in earning at the same level of work/effort.

Hence, some of the OFW groups are organizing a petition to the president through a web campaign: http://petition.patnubay.com/

However, I don't know how effective this campaign is and I am not very confident that our leaders would listen.

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The Philippines is a country of tremendous contrasts and extremes ;The economy is basically agricultural, with rice, corn, and kamote (sweet potatoes) the staple food crops. Key cash crops include coconuts, fruits and vegetables, sugar, tobacco, and abaca (the famous "Manila hemp" used for rope making). In aggregate, about two-thirds of Filipinos continue to depend on the agricultural sector.

The Philippine archipelago is rich in natural resources, as reflected in the fact that foreign exchange earnings have traditionally been derived largely from export of primary commodities. The export of fruits and vegetables, especially pineapple products and bananas, plays a key economic role every year. Among the minerals that the Philippines produces are copper, gold, nickel, chromium, iron, and manganese. Mining will continue to be important in the future, particularly copper, nickel, chromite, and iron. It is estimated that 90% of the country's mineral resources are unsurveyed and undeveloped. However, operating costs are high by international standards and many gold mines and other operations aren't economically viable at this time.

The country still has substantial timber land, primarily hardwoods of the dipterocarp family. Philippine mahogany and narra wood are widely considered among the finest in the world. Exporting logs was banned in 1976, fueling the growth of sawmills, plywood and veneer factories, and other value-added manufacturing ventures with wood as raw material. Overall, however, the country's forests are now largely depleted by inadequate reforestation, shifting cultivation patterns, and illegal cutting. Production of timber is currently suspended.

The manufacturing sector continues to increase its share of GDP relative to the traditional agricultural and mining sectors. Before the Ramos' years, manufacturing tended to be concentrated in processed foods (sugar, coconut oil, canned fruits), textiles, clothing, oil, wood products, transportation equipment, and the like. These sectors continue to be key, but manufacturing activity is shifting towards electronics components and related goods for export.

A major transition is now underway, involving various sectors that capitalize on the many strengths of the Philippines' first-rate labor force. The country has millions of eager, well-educated, and English speaking workers. There are now an estimated 250,000 engineers and technicians, with the nations' colleges pumping out 30-40,000 new engineering and technical grads each year. They are joined by thousands and thousands of "commerce" and marketing graduates on what is rapidly becoming a glutted labor market  .

Which means that the Philippines' comparative advantage - the low wage rates earned by those graduates - is not likely to go away. According to the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries of the Philippines, salaries for production mangers range from $1000-1500 per month and for production supervisors $450-700. Well-qualified customer service representatives (CSRs) in the many call centers around Manila earn about $200-300 a month; the current estimate is that it costs about 1/6 per seat what it does in the states. And stateside companies who have outsourced here are reportedly thrilled by the quality of the customer service compared to what was being delivered at their previous call centers in the Southern United States.

According to Hong Kong's Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC), the Philippines is the only Southeast Asian nation besides Singapore with a labor force with the potential to move beyond a manufacturing focus to a higher value-added level. PERC ranks the Philippines as 4th in Asia on quality of labor force (trailing only Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore).

One challenge for the country is its low domestic savings rate. According to a recent study presented by economist Y.H. Kim at the Asian Development Bank, gross domestic savings as a percentage of GDP declined from 19% in 1994 to 17% in 2000. That puts the Philippines in the "low savings" rate category along with Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Uzbekistan. In contrast, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore all have savings rates over 30%.

However, as the nation's gdp real growth rate soars at an amazing 7%, with export rates ever increasing at 10% annually---the country is in the verge of outpacing its neighbours---with a healthy balance of service, agricultural and manufactural--the economy is predicted to rise to new levels.


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The Filipinos are not poor but the government is poor, sakto ba ko???

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As above report, it is quite clear that “overseas manpower remittances” contributes the biggest factor of this growth.
However, analyzing the current situation, I am pretty much worried about our low savings rate. An economy is not determined by how much money you make, but how much money you keep. There must be a coordinated drive from our various industry sectors to leverage from this growth and utilize it for further growth; i.e. since our economy shows a promising figure, there will be leniency in terms of foreign assistance and international loans to our private industries, thus accelerating turn-over, cash-flow, etc.

Moreover, if the present government fails to look after the welfare of overseas manpower; i.e. device a policy to subsidize the x-rate, I am afraid that the very industry that fuels our economy will soon collapse. It is a sort of industry suicide, shall I say.

If everything fails, we will go back to square one, where we send poor/desperate people abroad to earn dollars and so on.

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I've heard an interview with the Chief Economist, Finance Secretary and of the Gov. of Central Bank that massive flow of dollars into our economy / country has bad impact....and they are aware of that... to be in their action plan is to balance the effects to the economy...

we OFWs are only concerned on the currency exchange which we considered as a benchmark ... but there are a lot more facets where economic success should be based...

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ang akoa personal experience nako sa akong mga lakaw... filipinos are still poor...

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IMPRESSIVE!!!!!!!!!!

The Philippine economy is definately one of the fastest growing economies in the Asia-Pacific region--and nation's rise is inevetible! Wow, I am really really content and happy right now.

Well done, Philippines!!

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Philippines: 11th richest in Asia  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 
Richest Asian Countries Based on Gross National Product  (GNP)

1. Hong Kong (pop. 6,940,432) ... $31,560
2. Japan (pop. 127,463,611) ... $29,810
3. Singapore (pop. 4,492,150) ... $27,370
4. South Korea (pop. 48,846,823) ... $20,530
5. Malaysia (pop. 24,385,858) ... $9,720
6. Russia (pop. 142,893,540) ... $9,680
7. Thailand (pop. 64,631,595) ... $7,930
8. Turkey (pop. 70,413,958) ... $7,720
9. Kazakhastan (pop. 15,233,244) ... $6,930
10. China (pop. 1,313,973,713) ... $5,890
11. Philippines (pop. 89,468,677) ... $4,950   
12. Sri Lanka (pop. 20,222,240) ... $4,210
13. Armenia (pop. 2,976,372) ... $4,160
14. Azerbaijan (pop. 7,961,619) ... $3,810
14. Indonesia (pop. 245,452,739) ... $3,480
16. India (pop. 1,095,351,995) ... $3,120
17. Georgia (pop. 4,661,473) ... $2,900
18. Vietnam (pop. 84,402,966) ... $2,700
19. Cambodia (pop. 13,881,427) ... $2,310
20. Pakistan (pop. 165,803,560) ... $2,170


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philippine agenda: unanswered and hopeless agenda...

hunger
Crime
Jobs
Housing
Corruption
Health
Education

the country's lack of health services.

a town where people die without ever seeing a doctor and a seemingly simple disease like scabies becomes fatal for children. The nearest health center is four hours away by foot and only has a handful of paracetamol in stock.

a provincial hospital so ill-equipped that patients have to bring their own banigs and lie in the corridors for days unattended.

the final days of a tuberculosis patient and the clinic that runs out of medicine just as she takes her last breath.


-->  In the Philippines, hunger is a reality many face each day. An estimated 3.4 million Filipinos have experienced having no food on the table for many different reasons. And as the population grows, the incidence of malnutrition and hunger also increases. Zamboanga del Norte and in Masbate, two of the poorest areas in the country.


A college diploma is seen as a ticket to a better life but each day, thousands of graduates flock to business districts hoping to land good-paying jobs, only to come home disappointed. More than three million Filipinos remain jobless. With employment opportunities looking bleak, millions of Filipinos work abroad to secure a better future for their families.

Sol, a former factory-worker in Manila, left for Hong Kong to become a domestic helper. Vicky Morales meets Sol and finds that even there, good fortune has not smiled on her. The Philippine Agenda team also meets a group of Filipino woman workers abused by their employers. As the May 14 elections draw near, overseas Filipino workers gather at a Hong Kong plaza to cry for justice and seek protection from the government. Even on foreign soil, Filipinos search for security in the workplace.

Back in the Philippines, it’s almost painfully the same old story: Workers protest for higher wages and better employment benefits as they have done for many years. But there is one place in Metro Manila where employees have taken their cause to a new level. In front of a bus company in Novaliches stands what is called the "longest picket line", which striking workers maintained for more than twelve years.

Francisco Salvo, one of the striking workers, tells the story of their long drawn-out battle with management. In between fighting for his cause in the picket line, Francisco scurries to different call center companies, hoping to become an agent. But will fate favor the long-embattled Francisco? Or will he once again, find himself in a seemingly endless struggle for fair and honorable work?



A roof over one's head, a decent home. This is the dream of more than four million homeless Filipinos. And this is our Agenda this week: Housing.

Enter the homes of Filipinos living under the bridge, along the railways and sidewalks, and witness how they live. Philippine Agenda finds that most of these "informal settlers" have come from the provinces, with the hope of having a better life in the city. The result of this migration is a tremendous increase in the number of homeless Filipinos in the cities.

The government's response was to create housing projects and relocation sites. This solution, however, has had its own predicaments. For instance, the Cabuyao housing project in Laguna has no clean water, no electricity and the place is located near a dumpsite. To top it off, the site is very far from the city, making it inconvenient for residents to find any form of livelihood.

From the government 's point of view, of course, the shortcomings aren't all their fault. They also blame the people who lack discipline, such as those who sell the rights of land awarded to them and those who work with syndicates that fake some documents to sell land.

What is the long term plan of the govt to address the complex problems of housing? How can the candidates help?



perhaps the biggest problem facing the country: corruption. Philippine Agenda finds several anomalous projects in different parts of the country.

In Cebu, Mike Enriquez and his team investigate the alleged overpricing of lampposts, where it is said that street lamps originally cost P25,000 were bought for more than P200,000.

In Enrile, Cagayan, concerned citizens question a number of allegedly misappropriated projects such as a non-operational water systems project, and the unfinished paving of the town’s market parking space.

The system of corrupt practices is so embedded in our culture that one need not step outside of one’s home to see its influence. Philippine Agenda traces the corruption trail – from individuals to families and to barangays – and finds it has many shapes and forms. The team discovers that corruption pervades the smallest government agencies and the largest figures of the State.

In a poverty-stricken country, it is estimated that around P100M is lost to corruption daily. Despite the presence of so many anti-corruption laws, few cases of graft and corruption are ever resolved.



one town in Maguindanao whose residents have never seen a doctor. Thus, simple sickness like scabies becomes fatal for children. The nearest health center is four hours away by foot. And even if they decide to go there, they will only get paracetamols and vitamins good for ten people!

The program also witnessed the last few days of one TB patient, Lydia Marcos. Before her last breath, she mustered the strength to gripe about her empty stomach and her problems about the high prices of medicines. Until the end, she was not able to buy the medicines that was supposed to save her life.

 the miserable situation of some hospitals, specifically in Bacolod and Metro Manila. patients have to bring their own cushions or mats and lie down on the cold floor because hospital beds and rooms are already full.

an eye opener on the deteriorationg health condition and health system in the country. What is the bottom of these problems and what answers should we expect from incumbent and incoming government officials?




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ganus-a pa??? it's gettig worst, When i was a little girl, i can remember nga ang akong baby food mga imported, i dont know if that means nga maka afford me. Philippines was the first to have a Heart Center sa Asia. Ali-Frazer in Manila. Atbp.Thas was then, morag dato man ang Pilipinas. Karon? na unsa naman ta ani???

 I sould rather have The Marcoses back to the white house (aw white house bana diha?)

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tinuod gyud na GEC, feeling of elation raman ang nindot sa rich. But dont you know nga everyone can feel the same elation in many ways??? dili ra ang pagpakadatu???

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we'll see

let's just see

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ako diay poor man pod ko...

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aprub ko!

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Yes, like China's one-child policy.

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^ Bingo--I was thinking of the same thing.

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Datu man gyud ang Brunie, sosi pod ang ilang mga babaye diha no???dili baduyin..

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Gervistil...... what we need is not patience but WONDER  maybe!

I agree what El Mundo observed... we are and i think remain the same unless until what Gervistil commented/written

what we need is Economic Development progress.... how we will solve this?  In fact, the  cram-full pockets of the leaders while our

country is agonizing poverty extremely uncontrollable.

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Mga kababayan,
this is quite an embarassing insight, i cant help but cry after reading this....

Subject: A Korean Student's Essay on the Philippines  


My Short Essay about the Philippines
Jaeyoun Kim
September 2003

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines.

Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest
countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed completely after the Korean War, and we had no
natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia. We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine. My father's brother also died because of famine.

Korean government was awfully corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because
Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism. Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea. He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economy situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through a horrible experience. In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park. They asked to him, "President, when can we be well off?" That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea. So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea.

He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart. Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help
developing country because they wanted their country to be well off.

Though they received very small salary, they did their best for Korea. They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And I have loved my neighborhood.

Have you cried for the Philippines? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people.
I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go
to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines. I talked to two prisoners at the maximum security
compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their
children.

When I was in Korea, I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my
faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad, and I see them
everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia, but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to
pray, but nothing has been changed. My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much
poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there so many beggars and street kids. When we went to
Pasangjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they
would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boat men, for the boat men were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.

My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we
are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are
same and have received a great love from God.

I want Filipinos love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off. I am sure that love
is the keyword which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start
in everybody in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes. I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world.

Please love your neighborhood and country. Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the Philippines, there is God
who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines. Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country.

You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others. That's all I really want to ask you Filipinos.

---------------------------------------
as per request

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Wow..were we really 2nd richest in Asia? ...

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Of what Pare?  Kids productivity?

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I have read some articles in the internet about the 7.5% growth ug ang comment pa gyud is that it is a big big lie pobre pa gihapon ang mga tao. I hope they were taught good economics in HS, we need not only a 7.5 in a quarter!!!!!! we need a continuous growth to see things work and in order to do that they need to shut up and work for it!!!!!!!!
Let us not be another burden.
According to economists, we need at least 7 percent for at least seven years or so to reduce poverty.
Let us start TODAY please we need it TODAY and hope for a better tomorrow  and not put everything in contention.


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yeah... not that much if we people start to work today. not just us here in TB...

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Poverty decreasing, new UN report says  
By Christine F. Herrera
Manila Standard
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?...ws1_sept3_2007

THE number of people living in extreme poverty in the Philippines is decreasing, with the proportion of families below the poverty threshold falling to 24.4 percent in July this year against 39.9 percent in 1990, a report says.

As a result, the Philippines has a “high chance of success” in achieving its goal of reducing the number of households living in extreme poverty—or those that survive on less than $1 a day—from 39.9 percent in 1990 to 19.95 percent of the population by 2015, according to the United Nations’ midterm report on the Philippines’ Millennium Development Goals.

The Philippines’ Medium Development Goals are a set of time-bound targets for combating poverty, hunger, diseases, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women, and they consist of eight goals, 18 targets, and 48 indicators covering the period 1990 to 2015.

The participants in the plan are the Executive and Legislative branches of government, national government agencies, local government units, the business sector, civil society groups and the academe.

The UN report, to be released worldwide this October, says the Philippines’ targets are “on track,” and that statistics point to economic gains having trickled down to the grassroots.

It says the Philippines also has “high chances of success” in its goal of reducing malnutrition and child mortality, promoting gender equality, combating HIV, AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and improving sanitation and access to safe drinking water by 2015.

But the UN says the Philippines must “closely watch” maternal mortality, access to reproductive health services, and curb its high population growth rate of 2.36 percent—which brought the total number of Filipinos to 88.7 million as of July.

The UN says the proportion of the Philippine population below the poverty threshold was 45.3 percent in 1990, but that went down to 30 percent in July 2007 and is “on track” to slide further to 22.65 percent by 2015.

It says the Philippines also has “high chances of success” in reducing the number of households whose food intake is less than 100 percent, to 34.7 percent by 2015 from 56.9 percent now and 69.4 percent in 1990.

The Philippines should also be able to bring down the number of underweight children age zero to 5 to 17.25 percent by 2015, down from 24.6 percent in 2007 and 34.5 percent in 1990, the UN says.

It says the Philippines has also been successful in providing girls the same education opportunities as boys—it has already surpassed its 2015 target as of this year—and dramatically reduced child and infant mortality.

The country has also been successful in combating HIV, AIDS and malaria and improving access to safe drinking water, which is now 80 percent—up from 73.3 percent in 1990 and may reach the 2015 target of 86.8 percent.

But the UN describes the Philippines’ record in improving maternal health and in achieving universal primary education as poor.

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Im impressed with GMA, she knows what to do and doesn't care what the opposition says--but she knows what is good for the nation and state. She's smart, vicious, brass, collective, oppinionated, intelligent, strategic, religious and firm on her decisions.

A great leader, IMO.

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And then...... 20 year later gipangahoy na

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Arroyo set to match Marcos record on infrastructure spending  

By Michael Lim Ubac
Inquirer
Last updated 10:01pm (Mla time) 09/04/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- By the time President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo steps down in 2010, her administration’s infrastructure spending could rival the record of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos’ New Society.

With the country’s economy growing at its fastest annual pace in 20 years, the President on Monday vowed to build more roads, repair dams and complete other infrastructure projects that would put the country on the road to First World status.

The 20-year Marcos administration carried out the most extensive infrastructure program ever launched, financed by deficit spending and foreign borrowing.

Arroyo said her administration would pour more money -- P13 billion -- to boost the agricultural sector.

In a speech at the inauguration of the Aulo Irrigation Project in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, Arroyo said P8 billion would primarily go to irrigation and another P5 billion for the construction of farm-to-market roads next year.

She said that she had already asked Congress to increase the budget of the agriculture department, so that it can build 3,000 kilometers of rural roads and repair irrigation systems to benefit 1,000 farmlands.

“Kadalasan di lumalabas sa media ang ganitong mga biyayang nararandaman ng karaniwang magsasaka. Kaya naman narito [kami] upang talakayin ang mga programa at biyaya ng patubig at kalsadang bukid (Benefits like this for the farmer are not usually covered by media. This is why we are here to discuss the benefits of projects like irrigation and the building of rural roads),” Arroyo said.

The President said that due to the economic reforms she had instituted, the government had enough funds to allow the benefits of a strong economy trickle down to millions of Filipinos.


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Romulo: RP growth ready for competitive world trade  

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Romulo: RP growth ready for competitive world trade  

By Cynthia Balana
Inquirer
Last updated 11:00pm (Mla time) 09/04/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said on Tuesday the Philippines would send a "clear and strong message" to members of the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Conference (APEC) about its long-term economic achievements and preparedness to compete economically on a global scale.

"Our message to Australia and the world is: the Philippines means business; our growth will be sustained; we are here for the long term. It is time the world takes notice," Romulo said in his departure statement.

Romulo will attend the APEC Ministerial Meeting from September 5 to 9, 2007 in Sydney, Australia, a prelude to the summit of the APEC heads of state.

In his speech, Romulo stressed that quarterly performance since 2001 showed the resiliency and robustness of the Philippine economy.

"Our fiscal and economic reforms have taken root and are showing concrete results: our 2007 second quarter economic growth is the fastest in two decades; we have had consecutive quarterly growth since 2001," he stressed.

Romulo said globalization provided opportunities for shared growth but also laid bare deep development gaps that still needed to be overcome.

"We live today in an increasingly interdependent world, where challenges are inter-related and whose solutions similarly require an integrated and interlinked approach," he said.

"Challenges from the traditional to the emergent -- have taken on a global character and solutions call on all stakeholders to decide and move collectively and swiftly," he said.

These realities, he said, underscored the need for continuing dialogue and intensified cooperation in the pursuit of greater peace, progress and prosperity in the larger Asia-Pacific region.

He said the common resolve to face regional and global challenges through meaningful dialogue and greater cooperation would bind the members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

At the APEC Ministerial Meeting, Romulo said he would convey recent developments in the Philippines and share experiences, concerns and key positions on events and issues that affected the nation's and region's interests.

Romulo said that as an archipelago, the Philippines remained vulnerable to the effects of climate change despite efforts to protect the environment.

He said that sudden weather changes and the devastating effects of more frequent and powerful typhoons affected environments, drastically altered the lives of people and brought economic activity to a standstill.

"We have much at stake in ensuring that coordinated efforts in the region and beyond are made to mitigate and adapt to climate change. We can look into opportunities for greater cooperation in this area," he said.

Romulo said he would stress that growth and development did not have to be achieved at cost to the environment, the bedrock of all economies.

He said he would continue to encourage the revival of the Doha Development Round of world trade talks.

He said the multilateral trading system can and should be harnessed to benefit both the developing and developed economies.

Lastly, Romulo will call for a review of critical human security issues, including the need to increase capabilities of APEC countries to combat terrorism and respond to threats to public health.

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Unsa man diay atong gini index at present?

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himoon laging uling sa among silingan hehe

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Magtinda si Manang o Inse ba ug uling di POBRE gihapon ang Filipino.

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naa oi, na opaw naman gani ang kabukiran ug inuling kay walay laing pangita. nya mao nay ingnon nga dili na pobre.

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hahaha mao jud, ang ako walay haligiay aron walay mawala

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haha siguroa lang nag molutaw Bambs

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dakong lunop! ang mga igat ug mga b***t may hinungdan ana! hahahahaha!

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^wahehehe, joker ms belle



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i like gays baya! mao rana dali madaganan namo sa una if wala na mi sapi! hahahahaha!

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kaluoy pod, panapian lang??? magpa kuan pod mo? kay naa man gyud bayad???

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