I AGREE with [Cagayan de Oro] Cong. [Rufus] Rodriguez but there are three points I would like to suggest further:
(1) As pointed out that DA [Department of Agriculture] should not only focus on rice production but also on other high-value crops particularly in Mindanao. Thus DA through BFAR [Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources] should also develop other high-value aquatic crops like abalone and sea cucumber which can be cultured already since the hatchery protocol has been already established
(2) If ever GMA [President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo] would be true to her promise, the budget increase in Mindanao, the absorptive capacity in Mindanao should also be improved. There’s supposedly a lot of money for Mindanao projects from other sources particularly from NGOs but to avail of this is another level of concern, another level of expertise
(3) Regardless [of whether] the Mindanao people can absorb more fundings effectively or not what is more important is the credibility of President GMA’s promise to Mindanao.
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September 6th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
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September 4th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
[...] Vox Populi : On ‘Mindanao solons lament: Arroyo broke promise on budget hike’ [...]
September 4th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
That is true with the price increase. Our milk is also up from 54 to 61 per liter just over the weekend.
I also use an eye medicine which has cost P 1172 when the Dollar was 55.20 and it is imported from USA. Now, when imported with the cheap Dollar, it costs 1568 Pesos, much more than in the high earning and high priced Switzerland. Not to mention that it common usance of the big companies to set prices in comparision with local averag income and purchase power. Has the government convinced the companies that income in RP is already higher than in the European countries? The Goverment or at least theStatistics Office must really use a very special mathematic to make such increase matching the official inflation rate of only 3 to 6% as always reported.
September 4th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
To Jorge Bocobo
Creating savings out of remittances is a good idea. Only, with steady increasing Peso prices even of goods that are imported on the much cheaper Dollar, there is not much remaining for savings.
Look at milk which we need for our children, within one week some brands inceased more than 15%, even imported with the cheaper Dollar from Australia and New Zealand. And that is only one of hundreds price increases or content decreases for the same price. Often already both, less content plus higher price.
And that only for paying up loans which are not yet matured and at the same time to creat more loans. A government has difficulty to stem a lowering forex rate if there is distrust or big speculation behind. But there is not much problem to stop climbing the rate, all the BSP has to do is to buy Dollars at a steady rate, not tell the business in advance “brace for 45″ if the rate would really be market-made.
Comparing the purchase power of the Peso in RP, the rate should be 55+ even with the general declining Dollar.
With then more export income, more tourism and investment, tax income would increase, more jobs created and all credibilities gone up.
September 4th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
What more do this congressmen want?With their large “pork barrels” I think is more than sufficient to cover for some urgent projects in their own districts and do away with those basketball courts&waiting sheds with their names on it.These congressmen from Mindanao can even combine their “pork” to fund big ticket projects for mindanao.They have money its how they are going to use it.