Rice crisis a direct threat to Food-For-School recipients, Roxas says

Senator Mar Roxas expressed dismay that over 20,000 grade school students in Eastern Visayas will now stop receiving rice allocations under the food-for-school program of the Department of Education due to the worsening rice crisis.

"The food-for-school program has been successful in improving nutrition and reducing drop-out rates among school children. It is extremely worrisome that the rice crisis now poses a direct threat to the viability of this education program," Roxas said.

"While the government is harping on its rice access card program, what we don't know is that it's also cutting funding for other programs. It is giving rice cards to poor families in Metro Manila while taking away rice allocations that would keep poor children in school in the poorest provinces of the country. We're taking away food from one mouth to put in another. Rice access cards program are under DSWD and DA while the food-for-school program is under DepEd. Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?" he said.

The Liberal Party President said things are bound to get worse before they get better, considering the failed auction of the National Food Authority (NFA) where only one bidder showed up.

Roxas said the failed bid forced the NFA to admit that there was a "tightness of supply" in the world market. He added that this should serve as a fair warning to government to consider long-term solutions to the rice problem.

"First, admit that there is a problem. Secondly, come up with a concrete plan that includes both short-term and long-term solutions to solve the problem. Ang problema, sa unang hakbang pa lang ay hindi na tayo nagpakatotoo," Roxas lamented.

Roxas urged the executive branch to cut public expenditures in other areas in order to sustain the government's food-for-school program.

"Officials serving in the boards of government-controlled and -operated corporations should make the supreme sacrifice of giving up some of their perks as a sacrifice for the country. We can also look into restoring a four-day work week in government so we could save on energy costs," he said.

"More importantly, the revenue collection agencies should increase their collections. Let's do what needs to be done to keep these poor children in school," he said.

The Senate Trade Committee Chairman is also for the expansion of the food-for-work program, where poor families are harnessed to help in their communities. He has misgivings about a rice rationing system, such as the rice access cards, because it could be susceptible to politicking.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 | posted in da, deped, dswd, education, food crisis, mar roxas, nfa, pgma, philippines, president, rice crisis, visayas | 0 comments [ More ]

I need contributors for our upcoming grassroots blogs

I would like to call all bloggers out there and also to those who are not, who are for Mar Roxas for President in 2010, to be a contributor of our upcoming grassroots blogs. I had already finished registering the URLs of the several grassroots blogs that would cover all the Philippine provinces and some special groups like the Women, Kids, Students, Workers, Filipinos Abroad and LGBTs.

In these grassroots blog, you can post on why you support this draft campaign, post pictures on your community supporting Mar Roxas for President in 2010, your thoughts about Mar Roxas, and several things that you could come up in mind.

My target date for the grassroots blogs to be launched will be this May 25, 2008.

If you are not a blogger and you're willing to be a contributor, please do e-mail me at kevinraychua@gmail.com and I'll tell you how to join.

Through this grassroots effort, we can build this movement together!

ORAS NA! ROXAS NA!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 | posted in blog, campaign, mar roxas, philippines, president | 0 comments [ More ]

Filipinayzd nominates Mar Roxas 2010 Blog as one of the emerging influential blogs of 2008

I would like to thank Filipinayzd for nominating this blog as one of her Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2008, a writing project initiated by Ma'am Janette Toral to identify new and emerging blogs that are making an impact to its readers in 2008. These are blogs that started anytime from July 1, 2007 to the present. This blog started last July 29, 2007, thus it's very qualified for the search!

If you are a blogger and you think that this blog is worthy of being named as one of the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2008, then check out the Influential Blogger blog for more details.

I will also be posting my bets for the Top 10 Emerging Influential Blogs of 2008 within this week, so stay tuned! As of now, I still have 3 blogs on the list...

Monday, May 5, 2008 | posted in blog, campaign, janette toral, mar roxas, top 10 emerging influential blogs of 2008 | 0 comments [ More ]

Roxas: Medicines bill also seeks improved drug quality, access

Senator Mar Roxas stressed that the newly-passed law— awaiting the President’s signature— does not only seek to lower prices of medicines but also seek to make these more accessible to consumers and to ensure their quality.

“If medicines indeed become cheap but we do not ensure their quality, then we’re not protecting the patient in the end,” the principal author of the law, now known as the “Universally Accessible, Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act,” said.

“Same case with access: it’s useless if medicines are cheap but patients can’t find them in the drugstores,” the Senate Trade Committee chairman added.

Roxas said that as the law seeks to allow the “parallel importation” of medicines, it would also necessitate the strengthening of the government agency regulating the quality of medicines—the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD)—to ensure quality of medicines being imported and the safety of the public.

“We are beefing up the BFAD by allowing it to retain all its revenues—instead of it going back to the national treasury—so that it can upgrade all its facilities, equipment and personnel. This is roughly P150 million more spending on the safety of consumers,” he said.

“By ensuring a higher standard of quality for both generic and branded drugs, the consumer can be more confident in purchasing less well-known but equally effective brands of medicines. Kailangan ito para maging kampante ang konsyumer, at para mawala na ang haka-haka na mas mabisa ang mahal na gamot,” he added.

The Liberal Party President meanwhile stressed that all efforts to ensure the affordability and quality of medicines will be for naught if these will not be accessible in the end.

“That is why the law contains a ‘non-discriminatory clause,’ which prohibits drug stores from refusing to sell particular brands or kinds of drugs, including those sourced from parallel importation. Drug stores are also required to display these drugs with equal prominence,” he said.

“Sa bansa natin, ang industriya ng gamot ay kontrolado ng iilan: mula sa manufacturing, sa wholesaling at hanggang sa retail. Kung pababayaan ito ay puwedeng mahadlangan ang access sa mga mas murang gamot,” he added.

To lower the prices of medicines, the law seeks to strengthen competition in the local pharmaceutical market by allowing the parallel importation of more affordable medicines, and by helping the development of the local generics industry. The law also grants the President the power to impose price ceilings on various drugs.

| posted in bfad, cheaper medicines bill, mar roxas, pgma, philippines, president | 0 comments [ More ]

Roxas reiterates call for special ASEAN Rice Summit

Senator Mar Roxas reiterated his call for the Department of Foreign Affairs to formally propose a special ASEAN Leaders' Summit on Rice and Food Security in light of the impending creation of an Asian rice cartel known as OREC or Organization of Rice Exporting Countries led by Thailand.

Roxas, chair of the Senate trade and commerce committee, said the ASEAN must move as one in helping secure regional food security in light of soaring oil and rice prices.

"Neglecting to act as a regional bloc amid a rice and food crisis can raise doubts in the minds of other world leaders on ASEAN's determination to pursue economic integration," Roxas stressed.

"Before OREC is institutionalized, the ASEAN community must weigh in as a regional bloc to obtain trade privileges with its fellow members in keeping with the ASEAN spirit," Roxas said, adding that it would be unfortunate if the ASEAN bloc where the two biggest rice exporting countries in the world are members of, could not forge a common agenda on rice and food security.

He noted that the countries that would initially comprise OREC are all ASEAN members. According to the Thai government, four countries, namely, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam have agreed in principle to form a rice price-fixing cartel similar to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The senator said that even if Vietnam and Thailand have agreed to accept the Philippines' order for 1.2 million metric tons, the government should still confirm whether such shipments are iron-clad despite the formation of OREC.

"We need to see the bill of particulars governing these orders to check whether there are fixed dates for delivery and a firm, iron-clad commitment to meet the order," Roxas added.

Senator Roxas recommends that the DFA seek a briefing from the Thai Embassy on how the creation of an OREC would affect rice importing countries such as the Philippines.

"Given the cordial relations between and among the Philippines and these five ASEAN countries, we should take a more proactive role in clarifying the role of OREC and whether it is prepared to give concessions to fellow ASEAN members," Roxas said.

Friday, May 2, 2008 | posted in asean, cambodia, dfa, food crisis, laos, mar roxas, myanmar, opec, orec, philippines, rice crisis, thailand, vietnam | 1 comments [ More ]

Manny Villar doubts effectiveness of Mar Roxas' cheaper medicines bill

As Senator Mar Roxas said, the passage of the Cheaper Medicines Bill is a major step in providing affordable quality health care.

But wait a minute...

Well, well, well... Here goes Senate President Manny Villar again taking a jab at Senator Mar Roxas on the passage of the Cheaper Medicines Bill. I wonder why only now Manny Villar made that reaction. I never heard him talking in support 'for' the House version before. I think he's really looking at Mar Roxas as his biggest rival in the 2010 Presidential elections.

To know more about the bill, go ahead and read the Cheaper Medicines Bill Primer.

| posted in campaign, cheaper medicines bill, manny villar, mar roxas, pgma, philippines, president | 0 comments [ More ]

We need your help for the Cheaper Medicines online petition

In behalf of Carlo Ople (the author of the online petition for cheaper medicines) and to all of our fellow citizens who acted on our call to sign the online petition for cheaper medicines in the Philippines, we thank you for joining the call in urging the Congress to immediately pass the Quality Affordable Medicines Bill principally authored by Senator Mar Roxas. As of 3:21 PM April 30, 2008, the online petition was already endorsed by 245 citizens wanting to see this bill enacted into law on or before Labor Day (Thursday, May 1, 2008).

The more people sign the petition, the more powerful our call will be -- please forward this link to friends if you haven't already:

http://www.petitiononline.com/cheap862/petition.html

ORAS NA!

It's time to make this one possible! We have been waiting for this moment and it's long ovedue. If the doomsayers would try to block this landmark measure just because it would damage their self-interests, millions of ailing Filipinos would continue to suffer from expensive medicines. As we say, "together, all things are possible."

It's time to realize that it's unacceptable for someone to die just because his/her family can't buy the required medications.

It's time to act! We need to echo our voices to the Congress not to derail the passage of this bill -- will you join us?

http://www.petitiononline.com/cheap862/petition.html

ORAS NA!

For those who already signed the online petition on cheaper medicines, please do tell me thru making a comment on this post. Thank you for everything you've done!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 | posted in bfad, cheaper medicines bill, mar roxas, pgma, philippines, president | 0 comments [ More ]

Solon warns public about alleged multi-million PR effort to discredit medicines law

Rep. Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya (1st District, Cavite) warned the public not to fall into the web of deceit and desperate hysterics being spun by doomsayers in Congress about the cheaper medicines bill.

"I have received reports that there is a multi-million PR slush fund to discredit the bill and its key authors," Abaya said, adding that this may also be tied to the 2010 elections. Sen. Mar Roxas, the principal author of the medicines bill, is considered among the frontrunners in the presidential race in 2010.

Abaya, one of the co-authors of the House bill, expressed his full support to the joint efforts of House trade and commerce chair Antonio Alvarez and his Senate counterpart, Senator Mar Roxas in consolidating both versions of the bill.

"Millions of ailing Filipinos have much to lose if this urgent health bill is delayed further or derailed permanently. In the 13th Congress, the House failed to pass this measure due to lack of quorum. Today, some legislators are out to discredit this measure and its proponents by saying that it is "watered-down". The truth is that people with vested interests are scared that the medicines law would actually work and thus lead to drastic cuts in the earnings of pharmaceutical companies," Abaya added.

"On the contrary, precisely because their recommendations were ignored, we now have a stronger, more cohesive bill," Abaya stressed.

The congressman from Cavite noted that the generics-only provision was dropped upon the request of the President with the Senate agreeing to consider this as part of a separate bill. The House provision creating a drug price regulatory board was replaced by a new provision that would grant price regulatory powers to the Secretary of Health who would in turn make his recommendation to the President.

"The Secretary of Health is in a better position to review drug prices compared to a board composed of political appointees without sufficient backgrounds about medicines and prices," Abaya added.

The LP stalwart pressed for the bill’s passage by May 1. "This is our collective gift to the people on Labor Day and we should not allow people with vested interests to succeed in blocking this bill."

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 | posted in antonio alvarez, campaign, cheaper medicines bill, doh, joseph abaya, mar roxas, pgma, philippines, president | 0 comments [ More ]

Support the Cheaper Medicines Bill! Sign the Petition!

Show your support to Senator Mar Roxas' Quality Affordable Medicine Bill. We have been waiting for so long to have quality affordable medicine. The time is now! ORAS NA!

ORAS NA! Sign the online petition now!

The bill has long been delayed in the halls of Congress. Now, the time has come to make this dream come true. After all, our hopes for cheaper medicines will now be realized. Let's thanks all the prime movers of the measure especially our beloved Senator Mar Roxas, the strongest contender for the 2010 Presidential elections.

ORAS NA! Sign the online petition now!

Don't forget to tell your family, friends and relatives about the petition. Help us spread the word!

I would like to thank Carlo Ople for creating the online petition!

Sunday, April 27, 2008 | posted in bfad, cheaper medicines bill, mar roxas, pgma, philippines, president | 0 comments [ More ]

Roxas: Self-sufficiency key to solving rice crisis

Senator Mar Roxas, who arrived in Lucena, Quezon this morning, said rice self-sufficiency was the key in dealing with the rice crisis that has hit the country and has brought up prices by as much as P8 in the past two months.

“Kung dito pa lang sa atin, self-sufficient tayo sa ating pangangailangan ng bigas, hindi na tayo maaapektuhan sa kahit anong presyo o supply sa pandaigdigang merkado,” Roxas said.

“Nasa irigasyon, nasa suporta sa magsasaka para makabili ng tamang fertilizer at pesticide ang solusyon, na sa ganoon ang pangkaraniwang ani ay maitaas natin, mula 2.5 na tonelada bawat hektarya sa ngayon, hanggang sa pinakamaganda talaga na anim na tonelada bawat hektarya,” he added.

The senator participated in a dialogue with marketgoers at the Lucena City Public Market in the morning, after which he attended a town hall meeting in the Provincial Capitol upon the invitation of Quezon Gov. Raffy Nantes. Also present were Quezon Vice-Governor Kelly Portes, Quezon 2nd Dist. Rep. Procy Alcala, as well as various mayors, vice-mayors, councilors and barangay captains, and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) for the environment, social services, rural development, health, and women and children protection.

After the consultation, the local leaders led by Gov. Nantes, signed and presented provincial resolutions to the senator declaring their full support for his bills calling for the suspension of the value-added tax (VAT) on oil products and a tax exemption for minimum wagers, as well as the immediate passage of the proposed Quality Affordable Medicines Act.

Roxas, the Liberal Party President, congratulated Gov. Nantes, a fellow Liberal, for his responsiveness in dealing with the situation. “Maganda talaga ang ekonomiya rito sa Quezon. May balanced spending, at focused spending – hindi patingi-tingi ang pagpondo sa mga importanteng programa at proyekto. Maraming pera sa bulsa ng mga mamamayan dahil sa masasaganang ani,” he said.

Roxas said the national government should follow Quezon’s example, for self-sufficiency and productivity to occur on a wider scale. “Una sa lahat, kailangang harapin ng gobyerno ang problema. Ano ba ang problema? Ang kakulangan ng supply ng bigas dito sa atin. Dapat nang kumilos at mag-focus ang paggastos para hindi na tayo aasa sa mga imported na bigas,” he said.

He noted that even though the government has spent billions annually on rice production, this has not been done in the most efficient manner. “Bagamat may badyet para sa National Irrigation Administration, National Food Authority, Department of Agriculture at iba pang ahensya, taon-taon ay nag-aangkat pa rin ng 2 milyon toneladang bigas, dahil kulang talaga ang produksyon dito,” he said.

“Mas mabuti na ang ating mga magsasaka ang maikikinabang sa pagbili ng bigas, kaysa sa ibigay ang pera na ito sa mga magsasaka at exporter ng Thailand at Vietnam,” he added.

Thursday, April 24, 2008 | posted in arthur yap, cheaper medicines bill, e-vat, kelly portes, lucena city, luzon, mar roxas, oil, pgma, philippines, president, procy alcala, quezon, raffy nantes, rice crisis, thailand, vietnam | 0 comments [ More ]