Tuesday, July 29, 2008 Arroyo bares cut in text message cost
THE P1 rates for short message system (SMS) or text messages would be cut down in half reducing it to fifty centavos per message between networks.
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Monday during her eighth State of the Nation Address (Sona) said she has talked to the different telecommunication networks and they agreed to reduce their rates.
The announcement earned the loudest and longest claps.
She got a total of 104 claps during her 58-minute speech.
"Texting is a way of life. I asked the telecoms to cut the cost of messages between networks. They responded. It is now down to 50 centavos," she said.
Deputy Presidential spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said the reduced rates would be effective immediately.
The President during her address boasted the different achievements of her administration and presented at least 13 persons that have befitted from the different programs that had been implemented since 2001.
This excludes whom she acknowledged for leading the campaign on increasing rice production and ensuring the availability of the supply.
Arroyo said since 2001, new irrigation systems had been put up for 146,000 hectares, including those in Malmar in Maguindanao and North Cotabato; Lower Agusan, Casecnan and Aulo in Nueva Ecija; Abulog-Apayao in Cagayan; and Apayao, Addalam in Quirino and Isabela.
She said old irrigation systems for another 980,000 hectares have also been restored which helped increased the country's irrigated land "to a historic 1.5 million hectares".
She presented Edwin Bandila of Carmen, North Cotabato, who used to cultivate a hectare of land and harvest 35 cavans.
She said after the putting up of irrigation system in Malmar, he now "cultivates five hectares and produces 97 cavans per hectare".
The President said with the value added tax (VAT), the government could now fund and ensure the completion of the San Roque-Agno River project which would further improve farm production.
Other achievements that Arroyo reported include:
1) The curbing of population growth to 2.04 percent during our administration from 2.36 percent in the 1990s.
2) The raising of take home pays of public utility jeep (PUJ) drivers like Federico Alvarez from P200 to P500 a day since the anti-kotong and anti-colorum campaign.
3) The Land Bank of the Philippines' "quadrupling" of loans for farmers and fisherfolk, which she hoped to further increase after ordering the Department of Agriculture (DA) to "revitalize farmers cooperatives".
4) The distribution of 854,000 hectares of private farmland; 797,000 of public farmland; and Certificates of Ancestral Domain for 525,000 hectares.
5) The distribution of P6 billion for our farm-to-market roads in 2007.
6) The transport of 33 million metric tons of cargo and 31 million passengers in 2007 through the roll on and roll off system, and the construction of 39 roro ports since 2001 with 12 more are slated to start within the next two years.
7) The creation of 20,000 jobs for 20,000 out of school youth under the Oyster program and cash-or-work program especially in disaster-stricken areas.
8) The technical and vocational training for 7.74 million people in seven years including "Jessica Barlomento now in Hanjin as supply officer, Shenve Catana, Marie Grace Comendador, and Marlyn Tusi, lady welders".
9) The release of P102 billion worth of microfinance loans with a 98 percent repayment record.
10) The putting up of a 900-hectare jatropha plantation in and around Tamlang Valley in Negros Oriental, 200 hectares in Camarines Sur, 300 hectares in General Santos, 500 hectares in Fort Magsaysay and 700 hectares in Samar, among others.
11) The Pag-Ibig housing loans increased from P3.82 billion in 2001 to P22.6 billion in 2007.
12) The provision of health insurance for 65 million Filipinos at present to 500,000 in 2001.
13) The launch of school feeding programs in Agusan del Sur, Kalinga, Surigao del Sur and calamity-stricken areas which costs P10 per child per every school day.
14) The setting up of a 100 marine and fish sanctuaries since 2001.
15) The increased of sanitary landfill from one in 2001 to 21 at present - with 18 more already in the works.
16) And the 500 percent increase in the Office of the Ombudsman's conviction rate. (JMR/Sunnex)
