EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 128
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 128 - ESTABLISHING THE PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION FOR THE NEW YEAR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
WHEREAS, the dawning of the new century calls both for a celebration as well as a reflection of the need to craft strategic goals to meet the growing needs of the population;
WHEREAS, even as the new century unfolds, most of the country still remains backward insofar as agricultural production methods and practices are concerned thus substantially affecting the country’s ability to produce enough food for its people, let alone provide livelihood for people in the countryside;
WHEREAS, with the advent of the year 1987, there is expected to be a quantum surge of advances in the field of science and technology;
WHEREAS, these advances are expected to have substantial effects on all aspects of human life, whether in commerce, information, health or the production of basic goods and utilities;
WHEREAS, in the light of these expected advances, there is a need to craft policies and programs to ensure that the fruits of science and technology shall be fully developed and applied to all programs of this administration;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, CORAZON COJUANGCO-AQUINO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:
Section 1. Presidential Commission on the Year. — A Presidential Commission on the New Year (hereinafter referred to as the “Commission”) is hereby established under the Office of the President to be composed as follows:
a. Secretary of Agriculture - Chairpersonb. Secretary of Science and Technology - Co-
Chairpersonc. Secretary of Budget and Management – Memberd. Secretary of Trade and Industry - Membere. Secretary of Interior and Local Government - Memberf. Secretary of Tourism - Member
g. Press Secretary - Memberh. Director General of the National Economic Development
Authority – Memberi. Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs - Member
representing the Office of the Presidentj. Chairman of the Social Security System - Memberk. President and CEO, Land Bank of the Philippines -
Memberl. Chairman, National Youth Commission - Memberm. Two (2) representatives from the Private sector to be
designated by the President - Membern. Director General of the Commission - Ex-Officio
Member
Sec. 2. Functions of the Commission. — The Commission shall be an advisory body to the President and shall exercise the following functions and responsibilities:
a. Develop and recommend to the President the country’s strategic vision and goals in the next century on how the country should prepare and adopt expected advances in science and technology for agriculture and other priority areas;
b. Prepare and recommend to the President the Master Plan on the New Year, with emphasis on science and technology to advance the country’s agriculture sector;
c. Identify, coordinate and operationalize all related activities necessary to implement the country’s celebration of the millennium and the above-mentioned master plan; and
d. Accept or receive donations and other conveyances by gratuitous title of funds, materials and services for the use in the planning, operationalization and management of the country’s celebration of the millennium and the above-mentioned master plan, subject to the usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations;
e. Undertake all other measures necessary for the successful implementation of the said master plan.
Sec. 3. Committee on the Turn-of-the-Year Celebration. — In order to ensure the success of the country’s celebration of the turn-of-the-year from September to December 31, 1986, and coordinate the participation of the entire citizenry nationwide, a committee on the turn-of-the-year celebration is hereby established under the supervision of the Commission, to be composed as follows:
a. Secretary of Tourism Chairpersonb. Secretary of Trade and Industry Memberc. Secretary of Interior and Local Government Memberd. Secretary of Budget and Management Membere. Press Secretary Memberf. One (1) representative from the Private Sector designated
by the President as Member of the Commission, and chosen By the Commission Member
g. Director General of the Commission Member
The Committee is hereby directed to submit its program and plans of action for the turn-of-the-century celebration, as approved by the Commission within thirty (30) days from the effectivity of this order.
Sec. 4. Report to the President. — Relative to the performance of its mandated functions, the Commission shall submit its report to the President within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this order.
Sec. 5. Director General. — The President shall designate a Director General for the Commission. The Director General shall act as the Chief Operations Officer of the Commission, perform and manage all aspects of the Commission’s operations and other functions and duties as may be assigned to him by the Commission.
Sec. 6. Secretariat. — A Secretariat for the Commission shall be organized under the direct supervision of the Director General.
The Secretariat shall have such number of personnel as may be necessary for the efficient and effective performance of its functions. All agencies of the government represented in the commission shall assign or detail an employee each to form the Secretariat. The Commission shall provide the Director General and the members of the commission with such honoraria or allowances as may be allowed by law and at rates consistent with those prescribed pursuant to existing laws, rules and regulations.
Sec. 7. Funding. — An amount of Fifteen Million Pesos (P15, 000,000.00) to be sourced from the President’s Contingent Fund to fund the maintenance and other operating expenses, and other related activities of the Commission. For activities related to the turn of the century nationwide, the Commission shall submit to the President within sixty (60) days from the effectively of this order its recommendations on possible sources of funds and on how to tap the private sector as well.
Sec. 8. Repealing Clause. — All orders, issuances or part thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Executive Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
Sec. 9. Effectively. — This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.
DONE, in the City of Manila, this 23rd day of July 1999, in the year of our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Nine.
PHILIPPINE NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION UPDATES
WEEK-LONG GRAND WELCOME FOR THE “NEW MILLENNIUM”
Manila, Nov. 2, 2009 - If the United Kingdom boasts of its Millennium Dome and Singapore crows about its Millennium Mania, Filipinos will shout a ringing “Mabuhay” to the Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon Festival at the end of 2010, as the world welcomes the year 2000.
From Dec. 26-31, nothing but the best in the Philippines will be showcased at the Rizal Park, the center of celebration of the Filipino spirit in the 21st century.
Like a travel back in time, Filipinos and guests from around the world, will witness the evolution of the Filipino spirit in the past 100 years. The achievements of Filipinos great and small will unfold before the eyes of spectators expected to run into hundred of thousands from Day One of the festivities.
In store for everyone young and old, locals and foreigners are two major celebrations: the weeklong Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon Festival and the “Turn of the Century Program” at the Quirino Grandstand on Dec. 31.
Under Executive Order No. 128, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has created the Presidential Commission for the New Year (PCNY) to plan and oversee all activities aimed at welcoming the New Year.
The PCNCM is chaired by Secretary Proceso Alcala of the Department of Agriculture with Secretary Dr. Mario Montejo of the Department of Science and Technology as co-chairman.
The Milenyo Filipino Festival will present the best in Philippine arts and culture in agriculture, in science and technology, and in trade and industry.
It will also drumbeat the meaning and importance of the “Turn of the Century Program” on the last day of the year 2010 or New Year’s eve.
Festooned in a truly special fashion, the entire Rizal Park will be the venue of the festival, carrying Filipino outdoor decorations, which include buntings, surprise art objects and banners.
The Rizal Park festival will put into focus the general theme of the Philippine new year’s celebration: food security for all Filipinos amid the country’s march to a higher level of science and technology.
Its special look is calculated to generate public interest and positive exposure for the country both in the local and international media.
The Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon Festival has something special and spectacular for all.
At the Children’s Park, the Pistang Pambata will have big surprises for the youngsters, including puppet shows, folk games, and a higantes (giants) parade. The park will be spruced up with additional mythological figures such as the Ibong Adarna, kapre, to highten awareness and interest of Filipino children in Philippine mythology.
The Halamanan ng Bayan at the corner of Taft Avenue and Burgos street will be the site of ecotourism displays, exhibits, concerts, demos and teach-ins. It will be used to propagate the care and preservation of our environment.
For the arts and culture buffs, Sining Pinoy will convert the entire Agrifina Circle into a site of Pinoy Café outdoor art exhibits, cultural performances, concerts, fashion shows, poetry reading, among others.
The Philippine Millennium Garden Show at the Luneta Orchidarium will show the best collections of orchids, bromeliads, mums, poinsettias, roses and other tropical plants.
For the gourmands, the Handaan festival organized by hotels and restaurants along Roxas Boulevard and Kalaw Street will entice them with rows of food stalls underneath shady trees.
Teatro at Pelikula is an open-air auditorium showing the best Filipino musicals and plays as well as the best Filipino movies.
There will also be an exhibit on Philippine pre-history located at the “Cave” at the Rizal Park with live performances showing vignettes of the early civilization of the country.
The best designs on exportable products will be shown at the Disenyo at Kalakalan (Philippine Trade Exhibit) at the lobby and open areas of the National Library.
Sulong, Agham at Teknolohiya will showcase interesting Philippine inventions and achievements in science and technology.
A special agricultural fair, Ginintuang Ani ng Lupang Pilipino located at the tree-shaded park behind the National Library will display the country’s progress in the field of agriculture.
The Ambag ng Sining Silangan fair at Rizal Park’s Japanese and Chinese gardens exhibits Japanese and Chinese influences in the Philippines.
At designated days and hours of the festival, there will be parades of popular Philippine fiestas to enliven the park and add more color to the celebration. The parades will start at the Department of Tourism building and will pass through all the walkways of the park.
In-between these cultural parades will be street tableaux featuring folk dance performances and vignettes of important Filipino plays produced through the years.
Although the whole world is neck-deep in preparations for “New Year’s Parties” and special events, many point out that the year 2011 is not the start of the next year but the end of the present millennium. Thus, the third year begins on January 1, 2012.
SCIENCE EXHIBITS AT RIZAL PARK FOR MILLENNIUM BASH
Manila, Nov. 3, 1999 - A multi-media show at the Philippine Planetarium at the Rizal Park to keep Filipinos abreast on achievements in space exploration and discovery will soon be unveiled as preparations to welcome the new millennium shift into high gear.
The Presidential Commission for the New Century and the Millennium (PCNCM) headed by Secretary Edgardo Angara of the Department of Agriculture agreed to upgrade the exhibits at the Planetarium to educate the public, especially the youth, on advancements in science and technology (S&T).
Under Executive Order No. 128, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III directed the Lim-led presidential commission to prepare an overall plan that would guide the government into the next year, with special focus on S&T.
The PCNCM, co-chaired by Secretary Felimon Uriarte of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), will give special emphasis on the modernization of the country’s agriculture sector through the use of S&T.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) is preparing a working plan on the exhibit at the Planetarium that would include information materials on the new millennium; concept of a modern National Meteorological and Hydrological Service for the new century and the millennium; Planetarium shows at the National Museum; and Posters on Astronomy.
Pagasa is also eyeing the deployment of a portable Pagasa planetarium and telescopes in Davao City.
Earlier, the commission reached a consensus that because of budgetary constraints, the government would have to tap private sector support for the completion of various millennium-related projects.
Angara said the projects to be implemented, such as the aqua nature park in Manila Bay and a heritage park at Mount Makiling in Laguna, should also be, in the long-run, a self-sustaining program so as to conserve public resources for the administration’s pro-poor programs.
He also cited the creation of an oceanarium similar to those in Hong Kong and Singapore to be located at Manila Bay.
According to Angara, the commission is closely coordinating with various government agencies nationwide to ensure the successful implementation of these priority projects, especially those focusing on national food security.
Press Secretary Rodolfo T. Reyes, a commission member, said the body has also identified several priority projects and programs whose lasting effects would serve as the Estrada administration’s legacy to future generations.
EO 128 also created a Committee on the Turn-of-the-Year Celebration chaired by Secretary Alberto Lim of the Department of Tourism to undertake a series of activities to welcome the new year.
The committee has already prepared a month-long nationwide celebration that will start on Dec. 1 with the President unveiling a national millennium marker at the Rizal Park.
SPECIAL STAMPS, BILLS AND COINS TO WELCOME 2000
Manila, Nov. 15, 2010 The government is eyeing the production of special edition stamps, bills and coins to commemorate the country’s celebration of the coming of the new year.
The Presidential Commission for the New Year (PCNY), headed by Secretary Proceso Alcala of the Department of Agriculture, bared plans to tap the Philippine Postal Corporation (PPC) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in the production of the commemorative items.
Proceso said this project aims to give a lasting legacy for the new generation by way of celebrating the event through the creation of these commemorative materials. The PCNCM plans to depict in the commemorative items the pro-poor programs that the Estrada administration has drawn up for the coming of the new century.
The Chief Executive created the PCNY last July to prepare a government master plan that will highlight, among other things, the role of agriculture modernization, through science and technology, in the new millennium.
The Committee on the Turn-of-the-Year Celebrations (CTYC), chaired by Secretary Alberto Lim of the Department of Tourism, is preparing an array of activities for the end of the year celebrations.
President Aquino will open the celebrations by unveiling an official millennium countdown marker at the Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park.
The CTCC has lined up a broad range of activities reflecting the overall theme of Milenyo Pilipino.
Araneta noted that while the celebrations will be nationwide, with the Rizal Park (Luneta) in Manila serving as the focal point of millennium festivities.
Executive Director Daniel Corpuz of the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation said the CTCC has already prepared entertainment shows, called “Music Street.” Featuring Filipino artists and talents, it is designed as a promotional tool for various activities related to celebration of the new millennium.
Corpuz said Pusan Point, off the coast of Davao Oriental, will be a focus of public attention during the millennium festivities. Many foreign and local tourists are expected to trek to Pusan Point, where the first sunrise of the new millennium will be witnessed in the country.
A “Millennium Village” will rise at the Rizal Park, where agricultural products and achievements in arts, culture, science and technology, along with indigenous and adaptive handicrafts and tropical flora, will be exhibited.
According to the CTCC, the millennium festivities will culminate in a program at the Rizal Park that will start on the evening of Dec. 21, 2010 and wind up at the early morning of Jan. 1, 2010.
As planned, Its components will include the following:
Disko Melenyo, a millennium street dancing at the Rizal Park that will last until the early morning of the New Year;Pasiklaban sa Grandstand, a special entertainment show featuring the best Filipino artists;
Ugnayan ng Bayan, a symbolic joining of hands by Filipinos that shall be led by President Estrada, amid fireworks display, pealing of bells, and singing of commemorative songs;
Unang Bukang Liwayway sa Bagong Millenyo, the celebration of a special holy mass at dawn on January 1, 2000, that will conclude the celebrations.
PNOY LEADS AS PINOYS LINK ARMS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE
Manila, Nov. 22, 2010 - The Philippines will welcome the new millennium with a nationwide kapit-bisig (linking of arms) on New Year’s Eve at the Rizal Park and other parts of the country to demonstrate the unity of Filipino people into the year 2011.
Secretary Alberto Lim of the Department of Tourism (DOT), who also chairs the Committee on the Turn-of-the-Century Celebration, said that President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has been invited to lead the symbolic kapit-bisig in welcoming the new year.
The kapit-bisig ritual will be replicated all over the country to show oneness and togetherness of the Filipino people, Araneta said.
The schedule of the December festivities was taken up by Araneta in a committee meeting held this week at the DOT office in Manila. Araneta’s committee is part of the Presidential Commission on the New Year headed by Secretary Proceso Alcala of the Department of Agriculture. President Estrada created the commission to plan and oversee all activities aimed at welcoming the new millennium.
Preceeding the countdown for the new year at exactly 11:55 P.M., President Aquino will link arms with his family, government officials and other participants during a program starting at 11 P.M.
The month-long festivities will kick off on Dec. 1 with the launching of the Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon Markera 30 foot-tall parol (Christmas Star) also at the Rizal Park, with the President and other top officials as guests.
A brass band exhibition will precede the ceremonial lighting of the marker scheduled at 4:30 P.M., Lim said.
A universal prayer is likewise incorporated in the Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon celebration, Lim said.
Lim said her committee is now finalizing the schedule of the weeklong Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon Festival activities that will start on Dec. 26 and culminate with the new year’s countdown at the Rizal Park on New Year’s Eve.
The whole program will be covered live on radio and TV stations with live feeds from major cities and other selected spots nationwide.
A mass will also be celebrated prior to the final countdown for the New Year. The event will serve free food for all. All expenses will be paid by the Velarde family and close friends and not by the El Shaddai movement.
MORE MILLENNIUM CELEBRATION DETAILS RELEASED
Manila, Dec. 6, 2010 - As the countdown for the arrival of the new millennium approaches feverish pitch, President Aquino announced that the nation will welcome 2010’s arrival with a “kapit-bisig” (linking of arms) on New Year’s Eve at the Rizal Park and in other parts of the country to demonstrate the unity of the Filipinos in the 21st century.
Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim has prepared a P25-million “millennium fireworks display” which will light up Manila’s skies for 30 minutes to bid goodbye to 2010 and welcome the year 2011. The fireworks will be funded by businessmen, led by a prominent Makati business tycoon and Industrialist who shouldered half the cost of the pyrotechnics display.
The President created the Presidential Commission on the New Century and the Millennium headed by Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. The tourism secretary is a member and chairs the sub-committee on the turn-of-the-century celebration.
The month-long festivities to welcome the new millennium kicked off last Dec. 1 with the launching of the “Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon” marker - a 30-foot-tall recycled “parol” (Christmas lantern) handed down from the administration of former Tourism Secretary Mina T. Gabor.
The DOT under Lim tapped the Philippine Tourism Authority and the business sector for funding to refurbish the old parol, which is now prominently displayed with moving lights on Roxas Boulevard, across from the Rizal monument.
Designed to eclipse all other previous celebrations, the week-long Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon Festival activity is budgeted at close to P50 million, including the P25-million, 30-minute fireworks display at the Rizal Park.
PILIPINAS SA BAGONG TAON STARTS DEC. 26 AT RIZAL PARK
Manila, Dec. 7, 2010 - The Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon festival, the six-day nationwide celebration to welcome the new year that the government is hosting this yuletide at the Rizal Park, will start on Dec. 26.
The Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon festival will also highlight the centerpiece program of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III: agricultural modernization through science and technology.
According to Secretary Alberto Lim of the Department of Tourism (DOT), the weeklong festival will showcase art, cultural, historical, agro-related scientific and technological activities as well as trade and industry exhibits meant to highlight achievements notched by the Philippines this century.
The theme for the Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon celebration is agricultural progress through science and technology.
Lim, who heads the committee on the Turn of the Century Celebrations, said the Rizal Park will be transformed into a special millennium theme park where festivities and shows geared to attract people to the festival will be staged. The celebration will culminate at the Quirino Grandstand on Dec. 31.
Lim’s committee is a component of the presidential Commission on the New Year, which is chaired and co-chaired, respectively, by Secretaries Proceso Alcala and Mario Montejo of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Science and Technology (DOST).
Mr. Aquino created the commission and the committee under Executive Order No. 128. This committee has been holding a series of meetings at the DOT Central Office in Manila just across the Rizal Park to finalize the calendar of events for the Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon.
The New Year’s countdown on New Year’s Eve will be aired live nationwide by various television and radio stations.
The Milenyo Filipino Festival, while serving its basic purpose of presenting the country’s best in arts and culture, in agriculture, in science and technology and in trade and industry, will be used to drumbeat the meaning and importance of the turn-of-the-century program.
Araneta said the Rizal Park will be dressed up in a truly Filipino fashion with arches, buntings, art objects, and streamers to focus the general theme of the Philippine millennium celebration.
As envisioned, the Milenyo Filipino Festival will have various events to be held in designated areas of Rizal Park.
The Pistang Pambata (Pinoy Children’s Festival) which is located beside the DOT Building will be spruced up and will have local mythological figures such as Ibong Adarna and Kapre to heighten the awareness and interest of Filipino children in our myths and folklore.
There will also be puppet shows, folk games, and higantes parade, among others.
Turismo ng Kalikasan (Philippine Eco-tourism Center) will be located at the Halamanan ng Bayan at the corner of Taft Avenue and Padre Burgos street. It will be the site of eco-tourism displays, exhibits, concerts, demos and teach-ins which will emphasize the government’s concern for the environment.
The Sining Pinoy (Pinoy Safe Scene) will occupy the entire Agrifina Circle which will be transformed into a veritable Café Street with outdoor art exhibits, cultural performances, concerts, fashion shows and poetry reading.
Liwasang Bulaklakan (Philippine Millennium Garden Show) at the Orchidarium will show the best collection of orchids, bromeliads, mums, poinsetias, roses and other tropical plants. There will also be a commercial exhibit of cut flowers and other ornamental plants.
Ambag ng Sining Silangan (Exhibit of Japanese and Chinese influences on Philippine Culture) will show photos and art objects depicting the vast Japanese and Chinese influences on Philippine culture.
Teatro at Pelikula (Program of Cultural Shows and Movies), is an open-air show that will feature the best Filipino plays and movies starting at 6:00 p.m.
Ginintuang Ani ng Lupang Pilipino (a Special Agricultural Fair) is the Kanlungan ng Sining located at the back of the National Library where a special agricultural fair will showcase our achievements in agriculture.
Sulong Agham at Teknolohiya (Science and Technology Exhibit) is a special science and technology exhibit to be held at the Planetarium. It will showcase interesting Philippine inventions and achievements in science and technology.
Disenyo at Kalakalan (Philippine Trade Exhibit) at the lobby and the other open areas inside the National Library will be the venue of a special trade exhibit where the country’s best designs on exportable products will be shown.
Sinundang Kabihasnan (Philippine Pre-Historic Exhibit) is the interesting exhibit on Philippine pre-history located at the “Cave” at the Rizal Park. It will have live performances that will show vignettes of the early civilization of the country.
Handaan (Philippine Food Fiesta) The tree-shaded areas corner T.M. Kalaw Street and Roxas Boulevard will be set aside for food stalls, Restaurant and hotels will have their respective outlets in this area.
To enliven the park and to add more color to the celebration there will be parades of our popular fiestas on designated days and hours of the festival. Some of these fiestas are the Carabao Festival in Pulilan, Bulacan; Pahiyas in Lucban; Maytinis in Cavite; and the Agawan in Sariaya, Quezon.
The parades will start from the DOT and will pass through all the walkways of the park.
In between these cultural parades will be street tableaux featuring folk dance performance and vignettes of important Filipino plays produced through the years.
LUNETA IS THE BEST SPOT FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE
Manila, Dec. 17, 2010 - The government is mounting a P5 million, 20-minute fireworks show to usher in the year 2011 and cap the “Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon” festival which officially begins on Dec. 26.
Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim announced yesterday that the fireworks display and weeklong festival along Roxas Boulevard will “rival those of other countries.”
Araneta said at a press conference that “The new year celebration will highlight major achievements in Philippine art and culture, agriculture, science and technology, and trade and industry in the past 100 years through a variety of trade and socio-cultural activities.”
Rizal Park will be the site of trade expositions, concerts, art exhibits, cultural performances, fashion shows, parades, garden shows, food festivals and film showings.
Cebuanos, on the other hand, will celebrate the new millennium by way of a “Cebu Sinulog 2011” that will include activities “to thank the Almighty for all the blessings bestowed on the province in the past centuries.”
The festival, higlighted by mardi gras in Cebu City, is expected to attract participants from over 20 provinces.
In Dumaguete, the tourism office has launched a “Balik Dumaguete” campaign that calls on all Dumagueteños from all over the country and the world to spend the turn of the century in their hometown.
LUNETA TRANSFORMED FOR MILLENNIUM CELEBRATIONS
Manila, Dec. 19, 2010 - Secretary Alberto Lim of the Department of Tourism, chairman of the Committee on the Turn-of-the-Century Celebrations, announced that the Rizal Park, the venue of the the weeklong The 25th Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon Cultural Pageantry Celebration, will be transformed into a special New Year’s Park. Various sections of the Rizal Park will carry themes; have interesting decorations and activities to attract the masses to the festival and the Turn-of-the-Century program at the Quirino Grandstand on Dec. 31.
Rizal Park, she said, will be dressed in “a truly special fashion.” It will carry highly interesting Filipino outdoor decorations—arches, buntings, surprise art objects, streamersthat will put into focus the general themes of the Philippine Millennium celebration.
DOT Undersecretary Ram Antonio said this year’s festivities to welcome the new year will have various events to be held in designated areas at the Rizal Park.
Opening ceremonies will be on the 26th of the month simultaneous with the opening of several activities. In the afternoon. There will street dancing at the Quirino Grandstand and a sarsuwela at the open-air auditorium.
Dec. 27 will be the Araw ng Pampalakasan (Sports Day), which will be highlighted by different sports activities like the Arnisan Exhibition at the Rizal Park grounds and a sky-jumping exhibition. In the afternoon, there will be a unique chess exhibition that would feature the country’s top chess players with humans as chess pieces.
The following day, Dec. 28, will be Araw ng Batang Pinoy (Filipino Children’s Festival). The venue, which is beside the DOT building, will be spruced up and some local mythological figures such as Ibong Adarna and the Kapre will be put up to heighten awareness and interest of Filipino children on Philippine myths and legends. There will also be kite-flying exhibition at the Quirino Grandstand while on the Children’s Playground, various games and shows will be held.
Dec. 29 will be the Day of Filipino Fiesta, where there will be folk games, Parade of Philippine Fiestas, and a Comedy at the open-air auditorium.
Dec. 30th will be the Araw ng Dakilang Bayani (Rizal Martyrdom Day), where activities lined up will include a wreath-laying at the Rizal Momument in the morning, to be followed by the tracing of the last footsteps of Dr. Jose Rizal. There will also be the Paseo de Ayer at the Rizal Park promenade.
On the eve of the new year, Dec. 31, activities would include a millennium mass, Diana ng Musiko and the ABS-CBN Extravaganza which will be held up to 3:00 a.m. of January 1, 2011.
The highlight of the event will be the Kapit-Bisig (linking of arms) ritual to be led by no less than the President Benigno Aquino III himself and the First Family together with other government officials. This will be held at the Quirino Grandstand on New Year’s Eve.
A 20-minute long grand fireworks display, sponsored by private businessmen, will light up Manila’s skies and the entire length of Manila Bay.
RIZAL WEEK CELEBRATIONS BEGIN
Manila, Dec. 22, 2010 - The nation today begins celebrating Rizal Week yesterday to honor the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal, with activities which will culminate on his 114th death anniversary on Dec. 30.
Rizal died on Dec. 30, 1896, when a firing squad composed of Spanish soldiers shot him at Bagumbayan (now Luneta) in Manila.
His death sentence was provoked by his writings which inspired Filipinos to rise up in arms agains the Spanish colonizers. His most famous literary pieces are the classic patriotic novels “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo.”
Leading today’s opening rites are officers and members of the Order of the Knights of Rizal Supreme Council, the Kapisanan ng mga Guro ng Rizal (Kagunari, and other related organizations.
They will make a floral offering at the Rizal Monument at the Rizal Park, in solemn rites led by Supreme Commander Rogelio Quiambao.
Another highlight at the start of the weeklong celebration is the presentation of medallions to the finalists of the Jose Rizal Model Students of the Philippines.
Leading this year’s awardees is Victoria Dominique Ang of the Ateneo de Manila University. The others are Cynette Lovelyn Mirasol, University of San Agustin, Iloilo City; Aivel Sherich Berdin Pancito, Mindanao State University, Marawi City; Beth Fernando Castillo, Silliman University, Dumaguete City; Anelo Tabuac, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila; Joseph Prima, University of Eastern Philippines, Iriga City; Maricel Bermejo, Central Philippine University, Iloilo City; Rowena Sy, De La Salle University; Saturnino Israel Villar Abinan, St. Benedict College in Alabang, Muntinlupa; and Luz Matilde Dorotea Ortega, Ateneo de Naga in Naga City.
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairwoman Ester A. Garcia endorsed the project.
SIN, NOY AT LUNETA NEW YEAR’S MASS
Manila, Dec. 30, 2010 - A special concelebrated mass called Misang Bagong Taon—will be said at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila’s Rizal Park (Luneta) on New Year’s Eve.
Secretary Alberto Lim of the Department of Tourism (DOT), who chairs the Committee on the Turn-of-the-Century Celebration, said Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales will officiate at the mass, scheduled for December 31 at 5:00 P.M. An ecumenical prayer will precede celebration of the mass to emphasize the ecumenical nature of the occasion, Lim said.
Lim said President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and other members of the First Family will attend the holy mass.
Representatives of labor, women and children, fisherfolk, farmers, indigenous communities and other sectors will join the First Family in the offertory procession.
Bro. Mike Velarde, founder of El Shaddai Charismatic Movement, has announced that some 500,000 El Shaddai members will attend the New Year’s mass.
During the mass, seminarians, parish choirs and guest artists will render praise songs and traditional music. Meanwhile, bands from the Philippine Army and the Philippine Navy will also be on hand to provide music.
Araneta said Pope Benedict XVI’s message to the Filipino people will be read during the mass at the Quirino Grandstand as well as the selected Marian Shrines in various parts of the country.
At the Luneta and at least 10 shrines around the Philippines, there will be processions to be led by images of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The concelebrated mass, which will project the Philippines as a pilgrimage destination in Asia, will be covered by the national multi-media with possible hook-up by satellite. It will also be recorded, with the videotape to be sent to the Sister Angelica Channel.
The religious activity has been arranged in cooperation with the Wells Spring of Life, Sacred Land of Asia, Marian Movement, and Charismatic Movement of the Philippines, Confradia, and Association of Shrine Rectors and Pilgrimage Promoters of the Philippines.
The New Year mass is part of the annual Pilipinas sa Bagong Taon Cultural Pageantry Celebration, the weeklong festivities prepared by the Aquino administration to welcome the new year.
The Philippines will welcome the New Year with a nationwide-worldwide kapit-bisig (linking of arms) on New Year’s Eve at the Rizal Park and other parts of the country to demonstrate the unity of all Filipinos in the 21st century.
President Aquino will lead the symbolic kapit-bisig ritual, which will be replicated all over the country.
STARS IN SIMULTANEOUS MILLENNIUM CELEBRATIONS
Manila, Dec. 31, 2010 - Top fashion, society and showbiz personalities and artists will dazzle spectators during the New Year’s Specials that will be staged simultaneously at various parks and open spaces in Metro Manila tonight.
At the Luneta, highlights of the New Year’s Special are President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s speech and a show of unity, or kapit-bisig (linking of arms), that will be led by the First Family.
Starting at 8:00 P.M., the Rizal Park New Year’s Special will feature showbiz celebrities Cocoy Laurel, April Boy Regino, Pops Fernandez, Agot Isidro, Rachel Alejandro, performing with 600 students, 200 soldiers and more than 100 bit players in a production number entitled Tayo’y Mga Pinoy at the Quirino Grandstand.
Simultaneously, Jolina Magdangal, Rica Paralejo, Carol Banawa, Roselle Nava, Jefrey Hidalgo, Tootsie Guevarra and Jeremiah will perform at the Quezon City Memorial Circle, while Nanette Inventor, Jamie Rivera and the Repertory Philippines will hold their own show at Fort Santiago, Manila.
Roderick Paulate, Lara Fabregas, Joy Viado, the Tux, Wowie de Guzman, Carlos Agassi, and the Street Boys, among others, will participate at the Pinoy Sayawan medley at the Rizal Park, while John Pratts, Carlo Aquino, Stefano Mori and others will be doing their numbers at the Quezon City Memorial Circle.
These and other production numbers will be aired live through the facilities of the ABS-CBN and various radio and TV stations.
This turn-of-the-year program at the Quirino Grandstand is part of the Pilipinas Bagong Taon festival that the government is hosting this Yuletide season.
Bro. Mike's birthday party world's biggestBy Martin P. Marfiland PDI Research
“THEY will be shouting at Ayala while others will be at Luneta,” said El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde yesterday as he stood firm on his group’s plan to hold a gathering to organize the event with San Miguel head Danding Cojuangco, tourism chief Alberto Lim, agriculture chief Proceso Alcala and science and technology chief Mario Montejo as “Pilipinas Bagong Taon” today, the same day parties are set in Makati City and other cities nationwide.
Asked if a change of schedule was possible in the interest of unity within the Catholic Church, Velarde said it was not, adding that a number of El Shaddai members from the provinces and all over the world were coming or had arrived for the gathering.
The turn-of-the-year celebration at Rizal Park in Manila threatens to break records in terms of lavishness and numbers, what with the promised handaan (feast) of roast pig, chicken and calf, as well as the expected attendance of President Aquino and his political allies and showbiz friends of the Aquino Family.
Velarde was in Malacañang yesterday. “I’m just going to check whether the appointment of the President with us—which is in the afternoon of Friday—did not change,” he told reporters.
Asked if Mr. Aquino would be given the opportunity to deliver a speech on the administration’s proposed Charter amendments, he said: “I don’t know what the President has in mind, but normally he gives his inspirational message and informs the people on what is happening in government.”
As of last night, there was no official word from Malacañang whether Mr. Aquino would attend the annual overnight family reunion and party today.
But earlier, he said he would attend as he had done for the past years. The President is also scheduled to speak between 4:05 and 4:30 p.m. according to the El Shaddai program of activities.
Like the President, to whom he serves as spiritual adviser, Velarde is for amending the Constitution now.
Asked if there would be expressions of support for Charter change at the El Shaddai gathering, Velarde chuckled and said: “Why is our focus on Charter change?
“I think we should look into positive changes, not only concerning our Charter, but you know, I have a different view.”
He added, still speaking in Taglish: “Even if we change that Constitution repeatedly, if change does not occur in men’s hearts, nothing will happen.
“So I think what we should look and pray for is a change within ourselves. All of us are involved—the media, the Church, the government, the ordinary people. We should all help in changing ourselves because we are the ones who will suffer.”
‘Perception’“Our celebration will not be destructive . . . That is only the perception of observers,” Velarde said.
He appealed to journalists not to “color” their gathering, adding: “The results of (the Makati rally and the El Shaddai gathering) could be beneficial to us—they’ll be shouting at Ayala while others will be praying in Luneta.”
Asked if the El Shaddai gathering would serve as a vehicle to promote Charter change, he said: “I have expressed my views that I am in favor of change.
“Anything that is growing must experience change. In our country, we should open ourselves to change, but that change should benefit the majority.”
While he opposed the initiative of the Ramos administration to amend the Constitution, he believes that now is the “proper time” for the undertaking, he added.
Velarde also said the El Shaddai gathering would not be a rally but merely the annual turn-of-the-year celebration.
“Nothing political is involved in this celebration at the Luneta,” he said.
Asked if Imelda Marcos, widow of the strongman Ferdinand Marcos, was invited, he said: “Everybody’s invited at the Luneta.”
Velarde readily obliged when asked if he had a message for those participating at the pro-democracy rally.
“We are all for the preservation of our freedoms,” he said.
“Let us give all the Filipinos the freedom to think, the freedom to express and the freedom to assemble. That is what democracy is all about.”
He also said a variety of opinions should be upheld, and that people should not be forced to hew to the views of others.
ComparisonsThe El Shaddai new year’s celebration invites comparisons.
According to the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s biggest birthday party was attended by an estimated 35,000 people in Louisville, Kentucky, on Sept. 8, 1979.
It was held to celebrate the 89th birthday of Col. Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Would El Shaddai break this standing record?
Consider this: The crowd that attended its 24th turn-of the-year celebration on Thursday, December 31, 2009 last year was estimated at more than three million people.
The affair, at which then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and then-Vice-President Noli de Castro were present, was televised live nationwide via satellite on ABS-CBN 2.
El Shaddai is composed of two groups: the covenant (with 209,523 officially registered members) and the non-committed (estimated by the movement itself to number eight million).
With the numbers, how many lechon, etc. will Velarde need to feed the whole flock? More important, how much will the feast cost him?
The INQUIRER checked prices at Lydia’s Lechon, Baliwag Lechon Manok and Andok’s Lechon Manok.
These are the figures:
Lechon baboy goes for P3,500 for a 12-kilo pig and P8,500 for a 42-kilo pig at Lydia’s.
Lechon baka costs P18,000 for a 60-kilo calf and P21,000 for a 70-kilo calf, also at Lydia’s.
Lechon manok is sold at P175 per kilo at Baliwag, and P170 per kilo at Andok’s.
The size of the whole Rizal Park is about 528,833 square meters. According to planners of the National Parks and Development Committee of the Department of Tourism, a one-square-meter area can hold two persons. If tightly crammed, four persons can be squeezed in.
Assuming that Rizal Park has no structures, it can normally accommodate about 1,057,666 people (if tightly crammed, 2,115,332).
LAST SUNSETS OF THE YEAR
THE LAST sunset of the year 2010 and the first sunrise of the year have placed the country’s most westerly and easterly towns in the news.
The weather bureau said Ligas Point in Balabac, Palawan would earn the distinction of having the last sunset in the country at 6:05 p.m. today.
The last of Manila Bay’s world famous sunsets this year can be seen at 5:37 p.m.
Greeting the 21st century’s earliest sunrise in the country at 5:45 a.m. is Pusan Point in Caraga, Davao Oriental, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).
Balabac, the western-most part of the country, is the last island to the south of Palawan.
The fifth-class municipality is approximately 150 nautical miles southwest of Puerto Princesa City or about 514 nautical miles from Manila. It is nearer and more accessible to Malaysia and Borneo, which is just a few hours by boat.
Based on the writings of historian Diokno Manlavi, Balabac was first known by the name “Molbog” after a tribe that inhabited it.
Balabac’s present population is a mixture of different ethnic tribes such as the Samals, Jama Mapun, Tausogs and Palaweños. There are a few Ilocanos, Bicolanos, Tagalogs and Visayans.
Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes has created a committee to organize a “Last Sunset of the year Event” in the province.
The provincial government plans to install a monument at Ligas Point and to drop a time capsule in the site containing the developments in the province in the year 2011.
The committee is also tying up with a local group of photographers for a photo contest billed “Capturing the Last Sunset of The Year.”
A major tourism attraction in Balabac is the centuryold Cape Melville Lighthouse located in Cape Melville. This was finished on Aug. 30, 1892 after 30 years of forced labor.
The lighthouse was built to guide the galleons en route to Palawan and the Sulu Sea.
Puerto Princesa will have the second latest sunset for the year 2011 at 5:55 p.m., according to Pagasa.
In Davao Oriental, the towns of Baculin and Baganga will have the earliest sunrise tomorrow after Pusan. The sunrise in the two towns will be at 5:46 a.m., a minute later than Pusan’s.
A Pagasa weather advisory said generally fair weather was expected in the country between Dec. 31 and Jan. 2, 2011.
But Pagasa noted that instances of cloudiness could occur in Cagayan Valley, Aurora, Quezon, the Bicol region, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, the eastern section of Mindanao and Palawan.
Scattered and light to moderate rains are expected in these areas.
Metro Manila, Central Luzon, the Ilocos provinces, Southern Tagalog and the rest of the western sections of Luzon will have good weather with the possibility of passing rainshowers, according to Pagasa.
Theme Song
WRITTEN IN THE SANDThe Philippine Millennium Anthem (Music: Danny Tan/ Lyrics: Sicam Caballa)Regine Velasquez
You hold within your handsThe future of our lives
The light that takes you there beyond the bendIt’s written in the sand, where the past had all began
The tomorrow is here within your handThe love that’s in your heart
As child of God and ManWill burn and light your way until the end
It’s written in the sand, where the past had all beganThe tomorrow is here within your hand
You must hold on and dream of a place that is safe and peacefull and free
Through a thousand years and more let it beA bright new world that shine, with love for humanity
A world that’s home for you and meYou hold within your hands
The future of our livesThe light that takes you there beyond the bend
It’s written in the sand, where the past had all beganThe tomorrow is here within your hand
You must hold on and dream of a place that is safe and peacefull and free
Through a thousand years and more let it beA bright new world that shine, with love for humanity
A world that’s still for you and meNations rise up and cheer
We are bound by what we give to one anotherReaching out too far and near
In a world of love that brings us all together hereThis great new year
You hold within your handsThe future of our lives
The light that takes you there beyond the bendIt’s written in the sand, where the past had all began
The tomorrow is here within your handYou must hold on and dream of a place that is safe and peaceful and
freeThrough a thousand years and more let it be
A bright new world that shine, with love for humanityA world that’s home for youA world that’s home for you
A world that’s home for you and me yeah...and me.....
PARTY AT THE AYALA MILLENNIUM CELEBRATION AND BE ONE WITH THE WORLD
Ayala Center, GMA-7 and TV5 have partnered to bring you the Global New Year’s Day Broadcast.
It is the most ambitious live television event. A major 24-hour coverage of New Year parties around the world. Broadcasters from every continent will pool their production expertise and power to show the billions of viewers the excitement of the dawn of a millennium as it happens in 50 countries.
The program will be coordinated by BBC London and telecast all over the planet. Starting with the Pacific and Australia’s magnificent celebration at the Sydney Opera House to the sounds of the manguare drums from Peru to the millennium dome festivities at the United Kingdom to the Eiffel Tower revelry in France, to the fantastic opera performances at the pyramids in Egypt to the spectacular sunset celebrations in the USA till it ends at Western Samoa. The broadcast will cover the celebrations westward as they happen across continents and time zones.
With this Global New Year’s Celebration Broadcast, the people of the world are brought together in a celebration of human creativity and cultural diversity.
In the Philippines, the Ayala New Year’s Celebration happening in the country’s premier financial district and lifestyle capital is the only party that will be part of this Global New Year’s Celebration Broadcast.
Join us on the crossroads of Ayala and Makati Avenues for the party of the century and be one with the world.
Traffic Reroutings for Ayala New Year’s Celebration
1. From midnight of 25 December 2010 to midnight of 29 December 2010Both directions of Makati Avenue between Santo Tomas and Ayala Avenue will be closed to traffic for the construction of a stage. The Gabriela Silang parking lot will also be closed and used as a staging area for the construction of the stage. Traffic normally turning right into Ayala Avenue from Makati Avenue from the direction of Mandaluyong can instead turn left into Santo Tomas (this will be allowed), turn right into Fonda and then
turn right into Ayala Avenue However, traffic exiting into Makati Avenue from PSE and MSE through the Gabriela Silang parking lot will not be possible.
2. From midnight of 29 December 2010 to midnight of 1 January 2010Ayala Avenue between Paseo de Roxas and Fonda, Ayala Triangle side of Paseo de Roxas between Sedeno and Villar, and Makati Avenue between Paseo de Roxas and North Drive (Landmark) will be completely closed to traffic. Gabriela Silang parking lot will remain closed. For those who would like to attend the Ayala New Year’s Celebration, it would be best to park not too close to the closed streets and walk. APMC carparks beside Atrium and along dela Rosa will be open as well as carparks in Ayala Center.
All day free parking from 10:00 am of December 31, 2010 to 7:00 am of January 1, 2011 at all Ayala Center Carparks and other parking lots and carparks throughout the Makati Central Business District: EDSA Carpark, Intercon Open Parking, SM Open Parking, Glorietta 4 Basement Parking, Park Square 1 & 2, Ayala Avenue Steel Carpark, Greenbelt Mall Carpark, Greenbelt Square Open Parking, Rustan’s Supermarket Open Parking, MACEA Open Parking, Goldcrest Open Parking, Esperanza Open Parking, Junction Open Parking, Plaza Open Parking, Dela Rosa 1, 2 & 4, Valero 2 & 4, Ayala - Buendia 1 & 2
Official Program (Ayala New Year's Celebration '94)1:00 to 5:00 PM - Music & Games5:00 to 6:00 PM - Mass6:00 to 6:50 PM - Bench presents Parokya Ni Edgar7:00 to 7:50 PM - Swatch presents Kulay8:00 to 8:50 PM - Tower Records presents The Dawn10:00 PM to 12:45 AM - World Class Entertainment featuring Filipino talents & a grand fireworks display11:50 AM-12MN - Global Live Broadcast via GMA*12:45-1:45 AM - San Miguel presents… “Super Mega Blowout”1:45 AM onwards - Street Dance Party
Venue: At the intersections of Ayala Ave. and Makati Ave., at the heart of the Makati Commercial Business DistrictBRIEF ON THE SERIES OF FESTIVITIES:
THE AYALA NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATION WILL SURELY MAKE SPARKS FLY WITH THE FOLLOWING EVENTS
THE AYALA New Year's CELEBRATION. For once, the country's number one financial and lifestyle district of Makati will transform into a totally hip party place. We're welcoming year 2011 through a grand
celebration along Ayala and Makati avenues featuring world class entertainment, dancing on the streets, fireworks, confetti showers, laser shows, raffles and dining choices provided by Ayala Center hotels and its well known bars and restaurants. It starts at sunset on December 31, 2010 and won't stop until sunrise. Join us on the streets for the party of the year.
For those in the South, a welcome-to-the-year-2011 celebration shall also be held at the Ayala Center Cebu.
GLOBAL NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATION BROADCAST and PHILIPPINES 2011 TODAY. We've partnered with GMA-7 and TV5, a member of the Global New Year's Day Broadcast and Philippines 2011 Today Consortium, for the TV coverage of the New Year celebrations from Manila to New York to the rest of the world. Our celebration will be seen in 50 countries around the globe, making us "one with the world."
COUNTDOWN EVENTS. We'll have live concerts every month to the end of the year. The hottest bands and entertainers perform at the Glorietta Activity Center, Alabang Town Center and Ayala Center Cebu. Watch out for the following pre-new year’s activities, a glimpse of what you will be enjoying during the Ayala New Year's Celebration!
ONCE IN A Year RAFFLE. Starting October 30, you can buy a raffle ticket from any of the booths located around Ayala Center Makati, Alabang Town Center, Ayala Center Cebu, Market Market, Bonifacio High Street, Serendra, Trinoma and Marquee Mall for a special cause, the Children's Hour. The Children's Hour is a global fund-raising campaign that supports various projects for children around the world. In exchange for your raffle ticket, you are not only supporting a worthwhile project but you also get a chance to win one of 2,000 prizes to be raffled of during the Ayala New Year Celebration on December 31. You will also receive party favors instantly to help you get into the party mood.
Through this raffle, we are turning this once in a lifetime event into a celebration with a cause to benefit the youth, the future of the coming year.
Popular bands kick-off the festivities at 6:00 PM. The celebration builds up at 10 pm when homegrown talents gather to perform world-class production numbers from powerful dance numbers to fusion of pop-classical music! Nothing but the best names in Philippine entertainment: from Gary Valenciano to Nolyn Cabahug, Regine Velasquez to Jaya, Side A to Parokya Ni Edgar, Eraserheads to Bolipata Brothers, Philippine Madrigal Singers to APO Hiking Society, Kuh
Ledesma to Cecile Licad plus many more!!! Street dancing follows when popular Natural Born Klubbers resident DJ Manolet Dario and International DJ John Robinson go on-board to play the latest in dance music for that all-night-to-morning street party!
7,000 cops to secure Makati, Manila ralliesBy TJ Burgonio and Cynthia Balana
TRAFFIC will be rerouted. But to ensure that there will be no untoward incident, a total of 7,000 policemen will be deployed in Manila and Makati to secure the rallyists.
In Makati City, Director Nicanor Bartolome, Metro Manila police chief, said that at 6 a.m. today, the Ayala Avenue, from Manila Peninsula on Makati Avenue will be closed to all vehicular traffic.
At 10 a.m. the entire stretch of Ayala to Rustans will be closed to all vehicular traffic.
The traffic re-routing plan will give way to BBC and ABC-led Global New Year’s Day Broadcast. The participants will converge at the Ayala-Makati intersection for the main program which will start at 1 p.m.
Alternative routes will be designated by the Makati Parking Authority, Traffic Management Group-PNP, MAPSA, and the Ayala Security Force.
No parking for all vehicles along Ayala Avenue.
Rally organizers have been advised to police their own ranks.
No operation dikit or Operation pinta will be allowed within the Central Business District or the places where the buses are parked.
Other group policemen will be deployed to the Rizal Park to secure the expected mammoth crowd who will attend the 27th annual New Year’s Celebration overnight family appointment with El Shaddai.
Chief Supt. Efren Fernandez, Manila police chief, said that some 1,000 policemen will come from the Western Police District while the rest were augmentation force from the National Capital Regional Police Office.
He added that an additional police force would be deployed in the area in case the crowd swells to 5 million. He also raised the red alert from 7 a.m. yesterday up to 12 noon tomorrow, Saturday.
“We’re putting up our own security precautions because the crowd expected will be a bit big now compared to the other El Shaddai gatherings,” Fernandez said in another briefing.
Some 5 million people from 200 countries of the world and 51 states of the United States, 26 provinces of Venezuela and 76 provinces of the
Philippines, consisting mostly of El Shaddai members, are expected to attend the gathering.
Fernandez downplayed reports that certain groups would bomb the gathering, saying this was a raw information that needed to be validated.
“At any rate we always adopt the principle of considering the worst-case scenario. We have incorporated that in our plan and we are prepared,” he said.
Fernandez pointed out that their main concern was traffic. “Some people will be coming from Manila and going to Makati and vice versa,” he said.
He however said that he was not implementing any re-routing in Manila, unless necessary.
“Initially, we feel that there’s no need for re-routing. Our traffic plan is very flexible. Just in case there’s a need for a re-routing, we have contingency plans for these,” he said.
Fernandez said the Rizal Park can accommodate 2 million people.
In Manila, both North and South bound lanes of Roxas Boulevard will be kept open to traffic despite the projected crowd of 2 to 3 million expected to attend the event.
The T.M. Kalaw, U.N. Avenue, P. Burgos, Calle Muralla, Bonifacio Drive, and the inner streets of the Port area were the designated parking zones.
Rizal Day part of annual New Year’s bashAN AWARD-WINNING film based on the life of national hero Jose Rizal and a musical based on his novel “Noli Me Tangere” will be presented today at the Rizal Park as part of the millennium celebrations and to mark the 103rd anniversary of his death.
Rizal was executed by firing squad at the same park, which was then called Bagumbayan.
A day later, the park will also be the center of the New Year’s celebrations, starting with a special concelebrated Misang Bagong Taon (New Year’s Mass) to be officiated by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales.
The millennium celebration frenzy will be repeated in several other parts of the country, from Metro Manila to as far north as Benguet and as far south as Davao Oriental.
Celebration organizers have issued helpful tips for enjoying and living through the revelry, including bringing your own survival kits.
Today’s Araw ng Dakilang Bayani (Day of the Great Hero), which is part of the Pistang Pilipinas Bagong Taon (Filipino New Year’s Festival), will also include a retracing at 5:30 a.m. of Rizal’s last footsteps from his prison cell at Fort Santiago to the execution site.
The retracing will be done by the members of the Order of the Knights of Rizal.
At 7 a.m., President Aquino is expected to lead the traditional flag-raising and wreath-laying at the Rizal Monument.
“Rizal,” the 1998 movie directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya, will be shown at 8 p.m. at the Rizal Park’s open-air auditorium, according to Tourism Director Romulo de los Reyes, festival chair.
“Kanser,” the musical, will be staged at 6 p.m. at the same place. It is directed by Tony Espejo.
Also at 6 p.m., a light and sound show on the martyrdom of Rizal will be presented. At 7 p.m., designer Lito Perez will hold a modern kimono fashion show at the park’s Japanese garden.
All the Rizal Park shows are open to the public for free.
The millennium celebrations at the Rizal Park, which kicked off on Friday, will be capped by a grand fireworks display tomorrow at midnight.
The Department of Budget and Management allocated P30 million for the festivities at the Rizal Park and in other parts of the country.
Vigor and commitment Yesterday, only two days before the world bids goodbye to 2010, President Aquino urged the people to greet the New Year “with renewed vigor.”
Speaking on his weekly radio-TV program “Pulsong Pinoy,” Mr. Aquino promised to “further intensify my commitment to ensure good governance and provide the people, especially the poor, with better services.”
He said that like in most Filipino homes, he and his family would pray together on New Year’s Eve, aside from joining the Rizal Park festivities.
The President, and other members of the First Family will attend the 5 p.m. Mass to be said by Cardinal Rosales at the Quirino Grandstand tomorrow.
Representatives of labor, women and children, fishermen, farmers, indigenous communities and other sectors will join them in the offertory procession.
Bro. Mike Velarde, founder of the El Shaddai Charismatic Movement, earlier announced he expected about 500,000 flock members to also attend the New Year’s Mass.
Pope’s messagePope Benedict XVI’s message to the Filipino people will be read during the Mass at the Quirino Grandstand and in selected Marian shrines in other parts of the country, according to Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, who chairs the Committee on the Turn of the Year Celebration.
The Mass, which will project the Philippines as a pilgrimage destination in Asia, will be covered live by the national multi-media.
The President will then welcome the New Year by leading a symbolic kapit-bisig (linking of arms), which will be replicated all over the country.
People joining the celebration at the Rizal Park are advised to bring food.
“People should bring their own food as if they’re going on a picnic because, unfortunately, we can’t offer them any,” said De los Reyes.
He also advised people to bring raincoats or umbrellas.
They should also be on alert for petty criminals such as holdup men and pickpockets, although policemen and security men will be roving around the park, he said.
He predicted that the Dec. 31 crowd at Rizal Park alone could swell to at least 5 million.
House watchPeople at the Rizal Park will be screened for guns, firecrackers and drugs by about 1,000 roving members of the Western Police District before and during the celebration with the President, according to Chief Supt. Leocadio Santiago, Jr., WPD director.
“Make sure somebody stays home to keep watch against burglars who might take advantage of the situation,” said Razon. “Nonetheless, there will be enough patrol units going around the other parts of the city to discourage criminals during the celebration.”
A concert and a huge dance party will follow the 20-minute fireworks display.
“On a happy note, there are no high-risk areas and no serious threats to the celebration,” the WPD chief added.
What not to bringOrganizers of the annual New Year’s party on Ayala Avenue in Makati City also have tips for frolickers.
Bring some cash. “You don’t have to bring anything, just cash,” said P/Chief Insp. Candido Ruiz, traffic commander of the Ayala party. Food drinks and souvenirs will be sold at different booths to be set up on Ayala by Makati’s five-star hotels, restaurants and Ayala Center merchants.
Bring protection from the rain.
Don’t bring guns.
“No one with a gun will be allowed to enter the party premises,” said Ruiz. “Only those who are authorized to bring guns (policemen, security force) will be allowed to do so.”
Don’t bring pointed objects such as knives, ice picks and the like.
Merrymakers will be allowed to bring alcoholic drinks as long as they are in plastic containers. Bottled drinks—juice, soft drinks, beer, liquor—are strictly prohibited.
Ruiz said organizers had not decided if they would allow beer in can.
The party will be free for all, so everyone is invited to attend. “You can come in any attire you want,” he said.
Vehicles will be barred from the avenues, but not revelers, said traffic Executive Director Ernesto Camarillo of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
Star-studdedWhy should people choose the Ayala party over those at The Fort in Fort Bonifacio, Rizal Park in Manila and Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City?
“Because top celebrities, show biz personalities will be there to perform live before the crowd, which is expected to be more than 50, 000,” said Ruiz.
Camarillo said party organizers had been receiving feelers that President Aquino would precede to Ayala after the official New Year’s party at Rizal Park.
With the theme “One with the World,” the Makati party will be hosted by Ayala Land’s Ayala Center in cooperation with GMA-7 and ABC-5.
It will be telecast worldwide as part of the 26-hour New Year’s broadcast of Britain’s BBC and the US-based ABC networks.
The party will start at 5 p.m. and will build up at about 10 p.m. when entertainers perform musical numbers on a giant stage at the intersection of Ayala and Makati avenues.
People in the Ayala party can watch the different millennium celebrations around the globe starting at 8 p.m. through giant TV screens on the two intersecting avenues.
From 11:50 p.m. to midnight, and again at 1:30 a.m., about 800 million viewers around the world will be tuning in on the Ayala New Year’s celebration.
“We want to showcase the Philippines as a world-class entertainment center and we’ve gathered our best talents to achieve that,” said Ayala Land marketing manager Tina Esguerra.
The Ayala party will end with fireworks, laser shows and a confetti shower.
Pollution and firecrackersThough likely to be ignored by new year’s revelers, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources warned against burning tires and the wanton use of pyrotechnics for these are dangerous to health and the environment as well as to property.
In a statement, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said burning tires and pyrotechnics give off ozone-depleting sulfur dioxide, heavy metals and their oxides.
As of yesterday, one man had been killed and more than 150 injured, mostly by firecrackers, in pre-new year’s celebrations, said police.
The first death was recorded on Tuesday when a motorcycle ridden by a man who had just bought a bunch of firecrackers turned into a high-speed firebomb in Valenzuela, Metro Manila.
The package exploded and ignited the vehicle after coming in contact with the exhaust pipe, killing a bystander and injuring three motorists including the motorcycle rider who had both legs amputated, said Supt. Nemesio Neron.
Elsewhere in the country, 150 people were injured in firecracker blasts and 10 wounded by stray bullets, said Senior Supt. Rodolfo Tor, chief of the firearms and explosives unit of the Philippine National Police. With reports from Norman Bordadora, TJ Burgonio, Carlito Pablo, Michael Lim Ubac, AFP
PNOY LEADS NATION IN WELCOMING NEW YEAR
Manila, Dec. 31, 2010 - President Aquino will join the masses as he leads the nation in ushering in the year 2011 at a New Year’s Eve celebration tonight at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila, where he is expected to deliver his message for peace and prosperity.
The President, will stay briefly at the Manila Hotel, a hundred meters from the venue of the festivities, to await his part in the program. He will lead in the countdown of the last seconds of 2010, and then deliver his remarks welcoming the New Year.
A concelebrated mass with Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, Archbishop of Manila, as the main celebrant will be held prior to the final countdown for the New Year.
Before the President’s appearance on stage, there will be prayers to be said by representatives from the Catholic Church, the Muslim religion, Protestants, Iglesia ni Kristo, and the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan).
Members of the El Shaddai DWXI Prayer Partners Foundation International will lead in the traditional “Kapit-Bisig” number as a show of unity among the people. This will be followed by the release of thousands of red, white and blue balloons the colors of the Philippine flag.
Fireworks will also follow the President’s New Year’s countdown and New Year speech.
To provide music during the program is a 120-piece symphony orchestra and a 200-man choir to be provided by ABS-CBN television, which will also broadcast the program live on Channel 2.
Pope Benedict XVI’s New Year’s message to the Filipino people will be read during the “Misang Bagong Taon” mass following a procession of selected images of the Blessed Mother, the country’s patroness.
Following the midnight rites, the President, will proceed to the Manila Hotel to join their children and special guests in welcoming the first day of the New Year, a New Year’s Eve tradition of the Cojuangco-Aquino family dating back to his first years in public service.
Official Program
Friday, December 31, 2010
11:00 AM - 1:30 PM - Thank-Offering Salo-Salo1:30 PM - 2:00 PM - Joyful Worship2:00 PM - 2:10 PM - Helicopter dropping of Miracle-Vision Souvenirs2:10 PM - 2:30 PM - Joyful Worship: El Shaddai Gospel Music Ministry2:30 PM - 2:35 PM - Offering Prayer: Bro. Mike Z. Velarde and release of Miracle-
Vision Balloons2:35 PM - 3:00 PM - El Shaddai Gospel Music Ministry3:00 PM - 4:00 PM - Testimonies and Message from Guests4:00 PM - 4:05 PM - Special Song: “We Are Called”4:05 PM - 4:07 PM - Introduction of the Guest of Honor by Bro. Mike Z. Velarde4:07 PM - 4:30 PM - Inspirational Message by His Excellency Benigno Aquino III4:30 PM - 4:35 PM - Special Song: “Hindi Kita Malilimutan”4:35 PM - 5:00 PM - The Holy Rosary Prayer5:00 PM - 5:30 PM - Novena to St. Jude5:30 PM - 5:35 PM - Gospel Song: “Offering of Love”
5:35 PM - 8:00 PM - Eucharistic Celebration with Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, D.D. concelebrating
8:00 PM - 11:00 PM - ABS-CBN Extravaganza (Featuring: Carlos Agassi, Bayani Agbayani, Meagan Aguilar, Rachel Alejandro, April Boy, Joey Ayala, Jackie Lou Blanco, Lou Bonnevie, Tricia Canilao, Cookie Chua, Justine Cuyugan, Dingdong Dantes, Ricky Davao, Tanya Garcia, Wowie de Guzman, John Estrada, Lara Fabregas, Ana Fegi, Donnie Fernandez, Pops Fernandez, Charlene Gonzalez, Carla Guevarra, Mike Hanopol, Agot Isidro, Kalikang Lahi Dance Ensemble, Franco Laurel, Cocoy Laurel, Raya Mananquil, Joey Mead, Glydel Mercado, Carlo Munoz, Grace Nono, Roderick Paulate, Bernard Palanca, Perez, Princess Punzalan, Willie Revillame, Joseph Reyes, JM Rodriguez, Beverly Salvejo, Randy Santiago, Joey Pepe Smith, Solid Gold Dancers, Streetboys, Beth Tamayo, Three of a Kind, Trumpets, Tux, U.P. Singing Ambassadors, Leo Valdez, Angela Velez, Renz Verano, Joy Viado, Chris Villongco and Jessa Zaragoza)
11:00 PM - 11:55 PM - Turn-of-the-Year Program11:55 PM - 11:59 PM - Four-Minute Countdown11:59 PM - 12:00 MN - President’s New Year countdown
Saturday, January 1, 2011
12:00 AM - 12:20 AM - Fireworks and Noche Buena12:20 AM - 2:00 AM - Disco ng Bayan Dance Party2:00 AM - 4:00 AM - Gospel Choir Concert4:00 AM - 7:00 AM - Healing Message by Bro. Mike Z. Velarde7:00 AM - 8:00 AM - Breakfast Salu-Salo
