City joins noise barrage for Millennium Development Goals

CEBU, Philippines – The Cebu City government will join the rest of the world in a 10-minute noise barrage for the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) campaign at 12 noon today.

In a resolution, Councilor Margarita Osmeña, urged all government agencies and the mass media to join the government in the campaign and be part of this year's stand up action for the achievement of the eight MDGs.

The MDGs are a set of eight time-bound, concrete and specific targets aimed at significantly reducing, if not decisively eradicating poverty, by the year 2015.

One hundred and eighty-nine UN member-countries, including the Philippines, reaffirmed in September 2000 their commitment to peace and security, good govern-ance, and attention to the most vulnerable with the adoption of the Millennium Declaration.

 "The Philippines has only five-years left to fulfill its commitment in the Millennium Development Goals, yet extreme poverty still persists. This 2010, let's push the envelope further and make the MDGs a reality within the next five years. Let's Stand Up, Take Action, and make the loudest noise to remind world leaders and our leaders of their commitment to end extreme poverty by 2015," Osmeña's resolution reads.

In fact, more than 33 percent of the Filipinos live in extreme poverty. It is estimated that 5.2 million children are not in school while thousands of mothers still die of pregnancy-related causes and the number of HIV cases still rapidly increases.

 To mark the 10th anniversary of the Millennium Declaration, which is the basis for the MDG's, the United Nations MDG campaign is presently conducting a confer-ence in Manila in preparation for the November 20, 2010 world leaders' conference.

 Osmeña urged all the Cebuano people to join the noise barrage campaign at the Plaza Sugbo today.  (FREEMAN)