PGMA pays last respects to Secretary Cerge Remonde
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President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo paid her last respects to Press Secretary Cerge Remonde at the Heritage
Park Memorial Chapel in Taguig City today at around 4:30 a.m.
Upon arrival at the chapel, the President, clad in white shirt and pants, embraced Mrs. Marit Stinus Remonde.
After viewing the press secretary’s remains, she sat and chatted with the wife. She stayed at the wake for 30
minutes.
One of the longest serving officials in the current administration, Remonde died Tuesday shortly before noon.
He was found unconscious by aides at home in Bel-Air, Makati City, a victim of heart attack. He was brought to
the nearby Makati Medical Center, but efforts to revive him proved futile.
In an interview, the President said she lost not only a Cabinet secretary but also a close family friend.
Remonde was to mark his first anniversary as press secretary on Feb. 1. He took over the post from Secretary
Jesus Dureza last year.
Members of the Malacanang Press Corps fondly remember Remonde as “a cool cat”, one who could answer a
withering barrage of tough questions with candidness and humor.
The late press secretary’s remains will be brought to Heroes Hall in Malacañang on Thursday for necrological
services. It will be flown to Cebu on Friday and interred in the family plot in Argao, his hometown, the next day.
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Diplomatic corps supports PGMA’s peace initiatives
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Members of the diplomatic corps, led by its dean, Papal Nuncio Edward Joseph Adams, today pledged support
for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s efforts to achieve peace for the common good.
In his response to President Arroyo’s speech at the annual Vin d’Honneur at Malacañang Palace this afternoon,
Adams said “peace and the common good is indeed not only a possibility and a compelling goal but our
collective duty.”
The attainment of peace, through the termination of hostilities with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and
the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army, is one of the items in the ten-point agenda of the
Arroyo Administration.
The President has time and again made it clear that the government is fully committed to bringing lasting peace
in Mindanao and the rest of the country.
“So, Madam President, our very presence in this gathering is an expression of our shared desire and need to
join our hands in continued collaboration for peace and the common good,” Adams said.
“We who have the privilege of serving here as diplomats gladly assure you, Madam President, of the pledge of
the countries and organizations we represent to further advance these noble aspirations,” he also said.
Adams also expressed the group’s collective confidence that President Arroyo would remain steadfast in
working towards achieving this goal.
“We are assured too, Madam President, that in these few remaining months before the national elections, your
personal dedication and industry for the welfare of this great nation will not waver,” Adams said.
“We appreciate your administration’s stated resolve to work for unity, progress and the well-being of the people
of this country,” he added.
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Lives of Filipinos improved under my watch – PGMA
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today the lives of Filipinos have improved during her nine-year
administration.
''I’ve worked hard every single day to lift up the lives of our people,'' the President said at the traditional vin
d'honneur for the diplomatic corps held today at the Rizal Hall in Malacanang.
According to President Arroyo, her focus since she assumed the presidency in 2001 was to turn the economy
around, create jobs, and invest in human and physical infrastructure.
She pointed out that the growth of the economy, as measured by the gross domestic product or the sum of all
goods and services produced in the country, and the number of jobs created under her watch were the highest
in the last 30 years. Average inflation or increases in the prices of goods and services, she added, were also the
lowest since her father's administration in the early 1960s.
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By pushing economic reforms in the early years of her administration, the President helped the country weather
the global financial crisis that started in September 2008 better than other countries.
“Even at the height of the global economic tempest, the Philippines was able to post positive growth,'' the
President said.
The Philippines is one of a handful of countries in Asia, including China, which escaped recession. It posted
economic growth of 0.7 percent for the first three quarters of 2009.
Along the way, the President said she made tough and unpopular choices. Despite threats of dissension within
her own party, she implemented the expanded value added tax law or EVAT, and the result was P80 billion in
annual revenues generated for the government.
With such steady income coming in every year, the country borrowed less and spent more on people, thus
“breaking the cycle of economic misery we had operated under,” she said.
Between 2000 and 2009, the number of healthcare insurance beneficiaries expanded from 29 million to 89.64
million, 100,000 new classrooms were built, and teachers’ salaries increased from P9,000 a month to P14,000.
At the of 2009, 99.39 percent of barangays in the country had electricity, while 319 out of 432 waterless
barangays were provided with potable water.
“Infrastructure development has been at the center of our development agenda. It is working to create a
competitive Philippines, both as a place for doing business and as a place to be a good employee,” the
President said.
The President also said the economic development strategy is working well, with tourist arrivals increasing and
business process outsourcing expanding in such a way that its is expected to employ its one millionth
employee by the end of the year.
The development of the freeports of Subic and Clark as strong logistics and service hubs are on track.
Aside from the construction of roads and bridges, the Arroyo administration also invested in education in the last
nine years. Billions of pesos were spent in vocational training and English literacy to make the Filipino worker
more competitive here and abroad.
Looking ahead, the President said she wants to spend the remaining five months of her term reaching out to the
youth to help ensure free, fair, and credible elections in May.
''They are the future...They can be the guardians of non-violence as they interact with adults and others in the
community,'' said the President of young people.
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Embassy Joins Filipino Community In Celebrating 13th Sto. Niño And Ati-Atihan In
Chesapeake, Virginia
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Members of the Filipino community flock to Chesapeake, Virginia to relive the Ati-Atihan Festival of Aklan. A
major tourist attraction, the Ati-Atihan Festival is held annually in January in Kalibo, Aklan as well as other
provinces in the Philippines in honor of the Santo Niño (Child Jesus). The festival features tribal dance and
music, with participants wearing colorful indigenous costumes. Aklan is also home to the world famous beach,
Boracay.
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Representing Ambassador Willy C. Gaa, Minister Ariel Rodelas Peñaranda joins members of the
Filipino community in Chesapeake in celebrating the 13th Sto. Niño and Ati-Atihan Festival in
Chesapeake Virginia on 9 January 2009.
On photo (L-R) Mrs. Rafalyn P. Telada (President of Aklan Ati-Atihan of Virginia), her husband Mr.
Astrophel M. Tejada, Mrs. Rowena D. Peñaranda, and Minister Peñaranda.
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