Speaking Out: Ignacio R. Bunye
THE cooperation of all energy stakeholders, to include big and small oil companies, is imperative in helping our commuters and consumers cope with the skyrocketing of oil prices in the world market. President Arroyo is determined to exhaust all means within her authority and moral suasion to gather all sectors together to ease the burden on the people. On the part of the Government, including the LGUs, stringent energy conservation measures are now being implemented, with meaningful incentives for compliance and strong sanctions for violators. This administration aims to set the example not only in energy conservation but also in fiscal discipline. It will not ask any sector or the people for any sacrifices that it is not prepared to u ndertake.
***
Our country’s bid to become the cultural gateway to ASEAN got a big boost from the visit of UNESCO DirectorGeneral Koichiro Matsuura and the participants in the recent Leaders’ Forum of the 31st UNESCO-International Theater Institute (ITI) World Congress. The staging of the Congress in Manila is a recognition of the Philippines’ efforts to harness the arts as a creative weapon to fight poverty, preserve the environment and promote a culture of peace and sustainable development.
The Philippines, being one of the most liberal and democratic environments in Asia, has always fostered broad cultural interaction. Our UNESCO-declared World Heritage Sites, such as the Cordilleras, Palawan’s underground river, Mt. Makiling and historic Vigan are awe-inspring examples of cultural preservation in the face of modernization.
Indeed, as President Arroyo stated in her remarks at the Congress, "culture is not a luxury to behold; it is how we live. The arts, in turn, are for everybody, regardless of age, race, creed, or ability."
***
Lost in the din of political noise over Charter change is the voice of the youth sector. This may not be at all surprising considering that most of them are preoccupied with spending the last few weeks of summer vacation before classes start.
The President has made it clear that her initiative to change the Constitution is being pushed with the youth’s welfare in mind. The youth want to be empowered to participate in national decisions and the time has come to take action on this either through legislation or Constitutional change. We will have more than 20 million young Filipinos streaming into voting age in the next five years and we have to make sure they have a voice in the future course of this nation.
***
The recent Watertech 2006 3rd Conference and Exhibit underscores our need for an ample supply of water and adequate distribution system. "Tubig sa bawat barangay" has always been an important component of President Arroyo’s 10-Point Action Agenda since the war against poverty cannot be won unless our people have the basics of food, water, shelter and health services.
The Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) likewise specifies as one of its targets the provision of safe drinking water for every Filipino. Today, 80 percent of our population has access to safe water supply.
The Watertech 2006 3rd Conference and Exhibit is particularly significant since it highlights the new technologies to tap distant water sources and recycle available water. In this connection, the Arroyo administration has adopted the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach to better coordinate the development and management of water, land and related resources and ensure the sustainability of vital ecosystems, particularly our watersheds and waterways.
A general strategy in the MTPDP is to involve local communities through their own Water Resources Regional Councils and River Basin organizations to implement IWRM at the local level. LGUs have been given greater authority to decide on the use and management of local resources and are thus expected to take the lead in the protection, conservation and sustainable use of our natural resources as their constituents are the ones most affected by whatever measures they undertake. In support of this, the national government will regularly review local policies and refine the cost-sharing schemes to optimize the use of our development budget.
Past issues may be viewed at http://www.news.ops.gov.ph/palace_bunye.htm
|
