Redeem true meaning of respective faiths, PGMA challenges NAM
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President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today challenged delegates attending a meeting of the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) in the country to redeem the true meaning of their respective faiths to bring lasting peace and
prosperity to the world.
In a speech at the Special NAM Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development at
the Philippine International Convention Center, the President said the draft Manila Declaration that the delegates
would adopt should contain an action plan of practical action-oriented policies culled from numerous local,
regional and multilateral interfaith and intercultural dialogues.
“All great religions advocate love; hold life to be sacred; profess peace and promote understanding,” she said.
“Our challenge in promoting interfaith dialogue and cooperation is to redeem the true meaning of our respective
faiths if we are to bring lasting peace and prosperity to the world.”
The Philippines is hosting the special ministerial meeting originally scheduled last December but deferred
when parts of the country were devastated by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng.
Majority of the 118 NAM member countries represented in the meeting will tackle issues such as the financial
crisis, climate change, nuclear non-proliferation and other pressing global concerns.
It is the first time that NAM, an international organization of states not formally aligned with or against any major
power bloc, will harness the great potentials of interfaith dialogue and cooperation to advance concerns for
durable and lasting peace and sustainable development.
The President said the Philippines is honored to host the special ministerial meeting, saying the country is a
living witness to the importance of intercultural and interfaith tolerance.
“The promotion of intercultural and interfaith dialogue and cooperation, rooted in tolerance, mutual
understanding, trust, and respect is a primary strategy to achieve peace as well as a key element in the country’
s peace process as embodied in our country’s Medium Term Development Plan,” she said.
Interfaith dialogue, according to the President, is a major contributor to peace and stability in Mindanao.
“While lasting peace has yet to be achieved, we have taken heavy political risks to broker a peace. We have
reached within the affected communities to change the peace paradigm,” she explained.
Through the steady promotion of interfaith dialogue, and respect for diverse cultures, traditions and practices in
Mindanao, the President said the government was able to build roads that opened up remote areas into the
mainstream of economic activities and to construct irrigation systems in farmlands that used to be impenetrable
to construction companies because of conflict.
“We have brought together an international consensus to aid the process from the outside. Japan, Australia, the
United States, England, the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC), Malaysia, and so many others now have a
vested interest in peace in Mindanao,” she said.
The President pointed out the Philippines and Pakistan, with the full support of NAM member countries, have
actively pursued in the United Nations (UN) the promotion of interfaith and intercultural dialogue, understanding,
and cooperation for peace since 2004.
The UN General Assembly, she said, has adopted by consensus the country’s annual resolution on promoting
of inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace.
“This is new proof that we are all united by our common humanity and by our common quest for peace and
prosperity,” she said.
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PGMA highlights role of science and technology in nat’l dev’t
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo highlighted today the leading role of science and technology (S&T) in
national development, including adaptation to the impact of climate change.
The President specifically cited the invaluable role of the Philippine Council for Industry and Energy Research
Development (PCIERD), an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in bridging
private and public sector cooperation to fuel technology-backed economic development.
The President said S&T is also crucial in adaptation to climate change, even if the Philippines is a “good world
citizen” having a low carbon footprint of 1.6 tons per capita compared to the carbon footprint of many
industrialized countries of six tons per capita.
“I have an unshakeable faith in science and technology as the main driver of modern-day growth and now as the
main protector against the onslaught of climatic changes,” the President said.
The President was the guest of honor and speaker during PCIERD’s 28th anniversary celebration at the Hyatt
Hotel in Manila this afternoon.
The President said she served as a member of PCIERD's Governing Council when she was an undersecretary
of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The group provided policy and management decisions on the
implementation of plans and programs in the industry and energy sectors.
In her very first State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) in 2001, the President said she underscored the importance
of technology as a means to spur economic growth and the foundation of future economic development.
To date, the President said her administration has reformed the educational system by strengthening the
teaching of mathematics and science in basic education and has reviewed policies to forge broader
coordination among public and private institutions, including the increase of budget allocations especially with
the implementation of the expanded value-added tax in 2007.
Included, the President said, are the investment of P3 billion for R&D technology, the opening of 100,000 DOST
masteral and doctorate scholarships to 27,000 beneficiaries, the allocation of P1 billion for the establishment of
the Science and Technology Complex at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, the retention of at least
100,000 teachers in Math, Science and English, and the provision of Internet connection to 5,000 public high
schools in the country.
Under the 2004-2010 Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP), the President said human capital has been
enhanced to develop a critical mass of engineers and scientists; increase productivity through S&T; and
promote technology-based entrepreneurship.
For climate change adaptation, the President said 10 Doppler radars has been earmarked to modernize the
weather reporting of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration
(PAGASA) with five radars fully operational in the next two years.
To help the environment, the President added PCIERD’s researches on energy such as on geothermal, solar
and wind power are now proven to be commercially viable.
To sustain national growth, the President said she hopes the next administration will also provide the
necessary support and funding to S&T and R&D, including PCIERD’s invaluable contribution in helping develop
an ASEAN S&T Roadmap towards a Climate Change-Resilient ASEAN Region by 2015.
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AMBASSADOR GAA REITERATES HIS CALL TO FILIPINOS IN THE U.S. TO PARTICIPATE IN
THE 2010 U.S. CENSUS
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In the next few days residences will begin receiving the short questionnaire from the U.S. Census. As such, I
would like to reiterate my earlier call to all Filipinos in the United States to participate in the 2010 U.S. Census.
The U.S. federal government distributes more than $400 billion annually to state, local and tribal governments
based on census data. Local governments and private institutions and corporations also utilize census data to
determine funding and grant of community and social welfare projects and programs. An accurate count means
more effective and equitable distribution of vital funding and resources that can have an impact on the lives and
well-being of Filipinos all over the United States. Participation and being counted in the Census is to the benefit
of everyone and of the Filipino community in the United States as a whole.
The U.S. Census assures every participant that their privacy is protected by the law, and that their information
will be kept confidential. The law states that the Census Bureau cannot share an individual’s responses to
government agencies like Homeland Security, Immigration, FBI, IRS courts, military, welfare agencies, including
federal agencies and law enforcement entities.
The process is simple, households are to complete and mail back the Census questionnaire as soon as they
can upon receipt of the questionnaire. Don’t fail to take advantage of this opportunity to be counted. END.
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