Arroyo calls for belt tightening

CEBU, Philippines - During crisis we need to find ways to save money and other resources to cope with the situation.

This is what President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asked from the different government agencies.

“Our economy is stronger that it has been in generations. It has demonstrated that the hard choices we made in recent years regarding economic reforms have allowed us to have the resources to mitigate the impact of the global economic crisis. These efforts have served as well. This has helped to ensure that the global crisis does not become a crisis here,” the President said.

Arroyo, who was the keynote speaker of the 34th Kiwanis International Asia Pacific Convention, however said that the country has not been immune to the impact of this global crisis.

Arroyo said that we must continue to focus on creating jobs and keeping prices low here at home while the government must provide incentives to help the private sector to keep and create jobs.

The government must also continue to come to the rescue of the poorest among us with subsidies of food, fuel and rice, she said.

“In challenging economic times, the government must tighten its belt and live within its means, just like the average Filipino household,” she said.

Arroyo said the government is taking a series of actions to stop unnecessary and wasteful spending as the taxpayers deserve no less from their government and public servants.

She cited an order to all government agencies to reduce by their respective Maintenance, Overhead and Operating Expense budgets by 1.5 percent.

This translates, according to Arroyo, to a savings of P7 billion.

She said that the government must pour all savings and revenue into programs that help the poor and the middle class, which includes more investments in education, healthcare and infrastructure.

Arroyo cited that in her Executive Order, she mandated that the savings from MOOE be allocated to emergency employment for the next six months.

“We must tackle many challenges at once to keep our economy and way of life going strong. On the part of government, we must live within our means and run a lean, efficient government,” she urged.

Kiwanians from various nations and club districts in the Asia-Pacific region meet every year to exchange experiences and further strengthen their commitment to serve the children of the world.

This year, the Kiwanis Club of Cebu City plays host to the annual convention with the theme: “We are all in service together.”

Some 400 representatives from Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Singapore and the Philippines are attending the convention.

European Kiwanis federation representatives from Belgium and Luxembourg and the United States are also in attendance.

Kiwanis International is a global organization of volunteers involving approximately 8,000 clubs in 96 countries that counts on over 260,000 adult members. It has its international headquarters in Indianapolis, USA.

Kiwanis emphasizes service to children and youth worldwide through initiatives intended to improve the quality of their lives, and through their service leadership programs benefiting about 7,000 youth clubs with some 320,000 youth members.

Kiwanis members have helped shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, mentor the disadvantaged, and care for the sick. They have developed youth leaders, built playgrounds, and raised funds for pediatric research.——MITCHELLE L. PALAUBSANON/NLQ   (THE FREEMAN)