PGMA underscores importance of education among youth
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SAN VICENTE, Camarines Norte -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today underscored the importance of
education among the youth, who, she said “serves as the bridge from our past to our future.”
In a speech before students, teachers, and officials of the Froilan D. Lopez Technical and Vocational High
School here this morning, the President pointed out that education is the foundation of opportunities and the key
to a better life.
“Kayong mga kabataan ang kumakatawan sa mga pangarap ng ating bansa. Sa inyo natin iniaalay ang lahat ng
ginagawa ng ating pamahalaan upang maiangat ang Pilipinas. (The youth represents the country’s future that is
why we are investing in them to uplift the nation),” she said.
In this connection, the President spelled out her administration’s three-pronged development objectives
anchored on the following:
* to spur regional development by enhancing empowerment in each region;
* to continue and develop further the 3 Es of the administration’s governance thrust: Education, Economy and
the Environment to ensure sustainable and equitable development in the areas; and
* to focus on the youth and assure their welfare and development through education into molding them as the
next generation of leaders for the country’s better and brighter future.
The President said that while the country has accomplished much in the field of education and technology, a lot
still needs to be done to achieve her goals.
She noted that she created the Presidential Task Force on Education headed by Fr. Bienvenido Nebres primarily
to review the country’s educational system.
In conclusion, the President expressed hope that the youth of today will come into their own, give priority to
education and modernity and use it as a tool for the development of the country.
The Chief Executive was welcomed here by Camarines Norte Gov. Jesus Typoco. San Vicente Mayor Joseph
Stanley Alegre and DepEd officials led by Regional Director Celedonio Layon Jr.
Before delivering her speech, the President toured the school’s training and demonstration classrooms,
computer literacy laboratory, garments technology and dressmaking class, food trades technology, the school’s
ICT building for the PC Hardware servicing course, computer internet lab and the electricity training shop.
According to Alegre, the President’s visit to this fifth class town of 8,000 residents “is only the second by a
Philippine President in almost 60 years since President Ramon Magsaysay.
San Vicente is the smallest municipality with nine barangays in the Bicol Region’s northernmost province of
Camarines Norte.
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PGMA declares state of calamity in Mindanao
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With no end in sight for the drought now wreaking havoc on crops and continuously bringing down electricity
supply in Mindanao, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has placed the southern regions under a state of
calamity.
The President on Friday issued Proclamation No. 2022 declaring a state of calamity in Mindanao, enabling the
government to immediately take necessary measures to mitigate the impact of the prolonged dry spell in the
South due to the El Nino weather phenomenon.
Proclamation 2022, states that “the El Nino phenomenon and the absence of new large generation capacities
have aggravated the power supply situation in the Mindanao Grid.”
“While the Local Government Code confers upon the local government units the power to determine and declare
a state of calamity in their respective localities, the declaration by the President of a state of calamity is still
necessary for the disbursement of the national calamity fund under the General Appropriations Act.”
The Department of Energy, which recommended the declaration of state of emergency in the South, was
directed and authorized to take steps to “address and resolve the crisis expeditiously.”
All departments and government agencies concerned were also directed to implement and execute appropriate
programs in accordance with the existing operational plans and directives and orders issued in connection with
the calamity.
The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines reported that the Mindanao grid will continue to experience generation
deficiency of approximately 632 MW today, compared to last Friday’s deficiency of 602 MW.
The said reduced deficiency can be attributed to a decrease in today' peak demand. The limited power supply in
the island is still caused by the inadequate available capacities from the grid's main power sources -- National
Power Corporation's hydro power plants. Almost all of these plants have water reservoirs that are drying up due
to the El Niño.
The Energy department has recommended four courses of action “to immediately solve the power supply
situation in Mindanao.” These are:
o Lease-rental of (160 Megawatts) Gensets (power generators)
o Operation and maintenance of the 30-MW Iligan Diesel Power Plant 1 (IDPP)
o Enter into an operation and maintenance agreement with Alsons for IDPP2
o Contract additional 5 MW from the Southern Philippines Power Corp. under an existing contract
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