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Invitation: 112th Anniversary of Philippine Independence
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PGMA hailed for resuscitating RP mining
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President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was hailed today for resuscitating the mining sector, by championing
responsible mining and sustainable development and by actively promoting investments in the sector.
In today’s workshop in Malacanang dubbed as “Sustainable Development in Natural Resources: The Arroyo
Administration Natural Resources Legacy”, Benjamin Philip Romualdez, president of the Chamber of Mines,
recalled the shift in the policy of the President from “mere tolerance” early on in her administration to “active
promotion” was the key factor in the industry growth.
“Despite the general negative sentiments (against the industry brought about by disasters and other
environmental concerns), the President pushed hard and earned the ire of so many people with her firm policy
and determined resolve to revive the mining industry. She actively met foreign investors, asking them to put
their money here and she made sure that resources were poured into infrastructures needed by the mining
sector,” Romualdez said.
It did not take a long for the mining industry to get back on its feet, with $3 billion already invested in the sector,
Romualdez said.
Bataraza Mayor Abraham Ibba, where the Rio Tuba Nickel Mining and the Coral B Mining Corp. in Palawan
operate, said the President created the environment allowing mining companies to reopen in remote areas.
“With the operation of both mining companies, a lot of my constituents are employed; taxes worth P100 million
a year are paid by the mining firms. The Social Development Mining Project Funds (SDMPF) of P252 million
have been paid to the province in 2005 to 2008. For 2009 to 2013 the funds will amount to P616 million,” Ibba
said.
Jose Boy Anoy, chieftain of the indigenous people in TVI Zamboanga del Norte, said schools, livelihood and
employment generated by the Sustainable Development Mining and Responsible Mining Programs were
implemented by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the mining companies.
Lolita Zaide of Siniloan, Laguna and Sergio Igos of Ternate, Cavite said the President’s and the Bureau of
Lands’ patent program enabled them to get their patents without much difficulty and at the least cost unlike in
previous administrations when they were made to comply with voluminous processing requirements. They
said that their respective farms, which they now own, have enabled them to support their families and to send
their children to college for their respective careers.
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HUDDC cites gains in housing sector under PGMA
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Over one million homes for low-income and poor families have been built under President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council Deputy Secretary-General Cecilia Alba said
today.
In a news conference in Malacanang, Alba said the government’s housing programs for low-income workers
and informal settlers provided shelter security to 1,044,420 families since President Arroyo assumed the
presidency in 2001.
“One of the significant accomplishments of the Arroyo administration is making housing affordable even to low-
income families,” Alba said.
Reform of Pag-ibig Fund’s policies and programs that resulted to lower interest rates, higher loanable amount
and lower monthly amortization rate, according to Alba, has enabled more Pag-ibig members to buy their own
homes.
To cite an example, she said that the monthly amortization for a P400,000 loan with a 30-year payment term
has gone down from P5,400 in 2001 to P2,400 today.
With these reforms, Alba said Pag-ibig has listed a record-high housing loan of P45.7 billion for around 75,000
housing units last year from a total of P3.8 billion for 16,000 housing units in 2001.
Another unprecedented achievement under President Arroyo, she pointed out, is the issuance of 113
proclamations declaring about 27,000 hectares of government land all over the country as socialized housing
sites, providing security of tenure to an estimated 280,000 families.
The Arroyo government, she added, also stepped up its assistance program to informal settlers through its
Community Mortgage Program by releasing P5.3 billion funding for 963 projects which benefited 109,000
families since 2001, compared to the P3 billion to support 847 projects implemented from 1989 to 2000.
Alba said that under the Arroyo administration, the National Housing Authority (NHA) has undertaken the “most
massive and largest resettlement” with its Rail Relocation Resettlement Program (RRRP).
“Some 87,897 families or 93 percent of 94,429 families living in the rail right-of-way were relocated,” she said.
RRRP was implemented to revive the North Rail Line from Caloocan to Pampanga and modernize the South
Rail Line from Caloocan to Calamba.
NHA Assistant General Manager Orlan Capitan said that after the rail right-of-way, the agency would like focus
on relocating settlers near the waterways.
He expressed hopes that the next administration will pursue the set targets to improve housing situation in the
metro and provide security of tenure to informal settlers.
“We would like to believe it will be pursued according to target,” he said.
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