MANILA, Philippines – It will be a busy week for President Arroyo who will lead the Cabinet and government agencies in refurbishing various programs to address high prices of basic commodities.
Presidential Management Staff chief Secretary Cerge Remonde said the President is expected to lead Cabinet officials in discussing ways to address the food crunch and other initiatives to enable the poor to cope with high food prices.
At the top of the agenda in tomorrow’s meeting include the issues on transport, clean water, the food-for-school program, and the one-stop-shop for the housing program, Remonde said.
“The President will implement improvements in the various programs to enable more Filipinos, particularly the poor, to benefit,” he said.
Aside from prodding the regional wage boards to convene and discuss possible increases in the minimum wage, Mrs. Arroyo has also ordered government agencies to come up with immediately implementable programs to help poor Filipinos cope with inflation.
Remonde said Mrs. Arroyo also wants more families in the 10 poorest provinces in the country to benefit from the food-for-school program, which gives each school child a few kilos of rice daily.
Officials said the program has not only helped address hunger and nutritional requirements of poor families but also encouraged school attendance and improved academic performance of elementary pupils.
During an emergency tripartite meeting convened by Mrs. Arroyo last week, labor leaders, business groups and government officials agreed on seven initiatives to allow workers to have more money in their pockets, including raising the minimum wage. – Paolo Romero