PIAQuezon: Dispatch for March 10 , 2014 ( Tuesday) , 8 PIA Calabarzon PRs , 2 Weather Watch , 6 OFW Watch , 1 PNOY Speech ,3 Interview with Sec. Coloma, 20 Online News , 21 Photonews (Mar. 6 )

Presidential Communications Operations Office - Other News Online

Dost_pagasa added 2 new photos.

24-HOUR PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST
Issued at: 5:00 AM 10 March 2015

SYNOPSIS: Northeast monsoon affecting Luzon.

Forecast: Batanes, Calayan and Babuyan group of islands will experience cloudy skies with light rains. Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

Moderate to strong winds coming from the Northeast will prevail over Luzon and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the Northeast with slight to moderate seas.

Pagtaya: Ang mga isla ng Batanes, Calayan at Babuyan ay makakaranas ng maulap na kalangitan na may mahinang mga pag-ulan. Ang Metro Manila at ang nalalabing bahagi ng bansa ay magkakaroon ng bahagyang maulap hanggang sa maulap na papawirin na may pulu-pulong mga pag-ulan o pagkidlat-pagkulog.

Katamtaman hanggang sa malakas na hangin mula sa Hilagang-silangan ang iiral sa Luzon at ang baybaying dagat sa mga lugar na ito ay magiging katamtaman hanggang sa maalon. Sa ibang dako, ang hangin ay magiging mahina hanggang sa katamtaman mula sa Hilagang-silangan na may banayad hanggang sa katamtamang pag-alon ng karagatan.

OVER METRO MANILA:

Maximum Temperature: 01:00 PM yesterday ----- 32.5 ºC
Minimum Temperature: 06:10 AM yesterday ----- 19.0 ºC

Maximum Relative Humidity: 06:00 AM yesterday --------- 77 %
Minimum Relative Humidity: 01:00 PM yesterday --------- 44 %

Low tide today: 06:21 AM --------- 0.21 meter
High tide today: 12:45 AM --------- 0.70 meter
Low tide today: 07:25 AM --------- 0.11 meter
High tide tomorrow: 01:33 PM --------- 0.50 meter

Sunrise today: 06:08 AM
Sunset today: 06:05 PM

Moonset today: 08:52 AM
Moonrise today: 09:42 PM
Illumination today: 87 %

For more information and queries, please call at telephone numbers 927-1335 and 927-2877 or log on to www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph.

March 10, 2015 (Tuesday) as of 6:00 A.M. - 7:00 A.M.

PIA4A / PIA QUEZON : Sunny in Lucena City

PIA OFW Watch

6 hrs ·

yan. Wala pa pong grupo na nagki-claim ng responsibility.
-Pangalawa na po itong abduction kaya ang total po ng mga kababayan nating na-abduct ay pito.
-Patuloy po ang panawagan natin sa ating mga kababayang naiwan pa gusto natin sila ay mapabalik na.
-So far, 36 na ang nag-sign up for repatriation.
-Tentatively, mayroon po tayong naka-schedule na repatriation bukas, 11 sa nag-sign up.

PIA OFW Watch

7 hrs ·

ABS-CBN: Apat na Pinoy ang kabilang sa 9 na banyaga na dinukot sa Libya matapos na atakihin ng mga armadong grupo ang kanilang pinagtratrabahuhan na oil field. Patuloy naman ang pakikipag-ugnayan ng embahada sa mga otoridad doon. [pia-aa]

PIA OFW Watch

7 hrs ·

ABS-CBN: Nabigla ang pamilya ng OFW na si Joven Esteva sa General Santos City matapos na kumpirmahin ng DFA na itinuloy ang pagbitay dito sa Riyadh, Saudi Arabia dahil sa kasong murder. Nakatakda pa sanang bumisita roon ang asawa at dalawang anak niya sa Abril. Nananawagan ang pamilya ni Esteva ng tulong sa pamahalaan para agad na mai-repatriate ang labi nito. Umaasa rin ang asawa nito na matutulungan siya sa pag-aaral ng kanilang mga anak.

PIA OFW Watch

18 hrs ·

GMA: Kinumpirma ng DFA na pinugutan na sa Saudi Arabia ang isang Pinoy worker doon. Kaninang 9:00 ng umaga raw ginawa ang pamumugot. Sinabi ng pamahalaan na ginawa nila ang lahat para mailigtas ang Pinoy.

PIA OFW Watch

18 hrs ·

ABS-CBN: 13 Pinoy ang kabilang sa 49 na tripulante ng nawawalang Taiwanese fishing vessel sa Atlantic Ocean.

PIA OFW Watch

19 hrs ·

ABS-CBN: Kinumpirma ng DFA na binitay OFW na si Esteva sa Saudi Arabia dahil sa kasong pagpatay sa among Arabo at pananakit sa batang alaga nito. Hindi raw kasi tinanggap ng pamilya ng employer ang blood money para hindi mabitay si Esteva.

QUEZON

1. TESDA has P41.5 M worth of scholarships for tech-voc training in Quezon

March 09, 2015

QUEZON, March 9 (PIA) — The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will grant P41.5 million worth of scholarships to young residents of this province giving them the chance to get into technical vocational education.

The said scholarship would also enable the youth to expand their capability beyond agriculture.

Quezon which is apparently the “new axis of growth in the Southern Tagalog region” leads in coconut production and other crops production including rice, corn, bananas, mangoes and vegetables.

TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva said having a skilled workforce will contribute to the development of the province.

He pointed out that there is a shortage of skilled workers for various local and international jobs and companies are in the lookout to fill in the said gaps.

"We need to develop the young men and women who would not only work in the fields, but for the various companies and industries that are sprawling in the province," Villanueva said in a press release.

Training courses covered by the scholarship grant are mechatronics servicing, bread and pastry production, shielded metal arc welding, electrical installation and maintenance and automotive servicing.

The P41.5 million worth of scholarships will be made available through the various TESDA programs such as Special Training for Employment Program (STEP); Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Projects (GPBP); Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) and the; Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA). (TESDA/ FSC, PIA-4A)

- See more at: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2931425748158/tesda-has-p41-5-m-worth-of-scholarships-for-tech-voc-training-in-quezon#sthash.wjPw0h0f.dpuf

2. Tagalog news: Pagpapaunlad ng palayan sa Quezon, patuloy

March 07, 2015

LUNGSOD NG LUCENA, Marso 7 (PIA) — Sumailalim kamakailan sa isang pagsasanay kaugnay sa pagpapaunlad ng palayan ang mahigit 45 municipal agriculturists, technicians at ilang kawani ng tanggapan ng Agrikultura ng lalawigan.

Sinabi ni Provincial Agriculturist Robert Gajo, ang naturang pagsasanay ay kaugnay ng programa ni Governor David C. Suarez sa ilalim ng Serbisyong Suarez sa Agrikultura na ipinatutupad ng kanilang tanggapan.

Layunin ng naturang pagsasanay na mabigyan ng pansin ang mga usapin tungkol sa crop damage assessment at reporting system ng sektor ng agrikultura sa lalawigan.

Tinalakay ni Raul Maximo Tolentino, Chief ng Philippine Statistic Authority ang tungkol sa Concept of Damage Assessment and Reporting kung saan ipinaliwanag nito ang tamang paglalagay ng datos lalo’t higit kung may kalamidad o masamang panahon.

Itinuro din ni Tolentino ang tamang paraan kung paano itala ang mga datos upang mabigyan ng agarang ayuda ang mga magsasaka kung sumapit man ang kalamidad.

Ipinaliwanag naman ni Engr. Joseito Bunyi, Chief Extension Division at Provincial Rice Coordinator ang kalalagayan ng programa ng pagpapalayan sa lalawigan ng Quezon.

Ipinarating naman ni Corazon Gallego, APCO Quezon ang mga programa ng Department of Agriculture kaugnay ng usapin sa pagpapalayan sa buong lalawigan ng Quezon. (Reygan Mantilla-Quezon PIO/ OPA-Info. & Training Unit/ PIA-4A)

- See more at: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2931425725012/tagalog-news-pagpapaunlad-ng-palayan-sa-quezon-patuloy#sthash.FXpk52I1.dpuf

3. Tagalog news: Kampanya laban sa droga paiigtingin, Implan ABKD inilunsad sa Quezon

March 07, 2015

LUNGSOD NG LUCENA, Quezon, Marso 7 (PIA) — Inilunsad kamakailan ng pamahalaang panlalawigan ang Implan Ating Barkada Kontra Droga (ABKD)—isang programa na naglalayong maiwas ang mga kabataan sa paggamit ng ipinagbabawal na gamot.

Ang ABKD na proyekto ng Quezon Provincial Police Office ay inilunsad bunsod ng tumataas na kaso ng mga nahulihan ng ipinagbabawal na gamot sa probinsiya simula noong nakaraang taon.

Layunin din ng nasabing programa na maging kabahagi ang komunidad laban sa paggamit ng ipinagbabawal na gamot sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng impormasyon sa mga kinauukulan.

Sinabi ni Gob. David Suarez, ang lalawigan ang may pinakmababang bilang ng drug dependents sa buong rehiyon ngunit nakakaalarma na umano ang biglang pagdami ng mga nahuhulihan ng ipinagbabawal na gamot.

“Ang problema ng drugs ay problema nating lahat, hindi lang problema ng taong dapat humuli sa taong gumagamit at nagtutulak; its not only affect peace and order, its affect development and productivity,” dagdag ni Gob. Suarez.

Ilang programa rin at isang task force ang nakatakdang ilunsad ng pamahalaang panlalawigan upang mapaigting ang kampanya laban sa paggamit ng ipinagbabawal na gamot.

Kabilang sa mga programang ito ang pagsasama ng drug testing bilang requirement sa mga sports activities ng pamahalaang panlalawigan at Serbisyong Suarez Caravans.

Hinikayat din ng gobernador ang ibang hepe ng kapulisan sa iba’t ibang bayan sa lalawigan na simulan na din ang programang ABKD sa kani-kanilang nasasakupan.

Base sa ulat ng QPPO, noong 2014 ay nakapaglunsad ang kapulisan ng 492 operasyon na nagresulta sa pagkakaaresto ng 368 indibidwal.

Mahigit P11-milyon halaga din ng ipinagbabawal na gamot ang nakumpiska at 509 na kaso sa korte ang naisampa ng QPPO. (Reygan Mantilla-Quezon PIO/ PIA-4A)

- See more at: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2931425723118/tagalog-news-kampanya-laban-sa-droga-paiigtingin-implan-abkd-inilunsad-sa-quezon#sthash.NgxbSdMW.dpuf

CAVITE

1. DSWD, PPVR spearheads Pantawid Pamilya consultation forum

March 07, 2015

DASMARIÑAS CITY, Cavite, March 7 (PIA) — At least 120 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program here addressed their experiences, problems and challenges in the program in a consultation forum spearheaded by the People Power Volunteers for Reform (PPVR) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently.

PPVR Provincial Coordinator Neneth Talastas said that the consultation is one of the ways to help the DSWD and the beneficiaries in improving the implementation of the program.

“Dito, pinakikinggan natin ang boses ng mga benepisyaryo para kung may problema ay maayos nating maipaparating sa DSWD at mabigyan ng maayos na solusyon. Ang PPVR ay tuloy-tuloy na magiging tulay ng mga benepisyaro sa DSWD at ng DSWD sa mga benepisyaryo. Patuloy kaming magiging gabay, bantay at kaagapay,” Talastas shared.

Some of the concerns raised during the consultation forum include queries regarding payouts, retroactive payments, assessment of potential beneficiaries and updating new information in the database.

The DSWD expressed its gratitude to PPVR for giving the beneficiaries the opportunity to address their problems and challenges regarding the program.

The PPVR, meanwhile, commits continuos supporrt to DSWD in resolving problems concerning the poor families.

The DSWD continuously engages civil society organizations like the PPVR in the implementation of its different programs and services.

To date, there are 41 active civil society organizations in the Calabarzon region engaging in the conduct of FDS, provision of livelihood trainings, employment facilitation and scholarship programs for the beneficiaries of different DSWD programs. (DSWD-4A/ FSC, PIA-4A)

- See more at: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2931425735654/dswd-ppvr-spearheads-pantawid-pamilya-consultation-forum#sthash.fI1DsMDh.dpuf

2. 247 cadets to graduate from PNPA

March 07, 2015

SILANG, Cavite, March 7 (PIA) — At least 247 cadets of the Lakandula Class of 2015 will be graduating from the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) this March 26 at the grounds of Camp Mariano Castaneda here.

The Lakandula Class of 2015 will be headed by 24-year-old Police Cadet Dennis M. Yuson Jr. who is also the recepient of the prestigious Presidential Kampilan Award and a Plaque of Merit for topping this year’s batch.

P/Cdt Yuson Jr. is a son of PInsp Dennis Yuson, Deputy of Criminal Investigation and Detection Team in Sultan Kudarat.

Following P/Cadet Yuson Jr. is P/Cdt. Rod Kevin T. Placido from Nueva Ecija who is set to receive the Vice President Kampital Award and also a Plaque of Merit.

Graduating third, meanwhile, and to get the SILG Kamilan Award and a Plaque of Merit is P/Cdt Marlon H. Landong of Negros Occidental.

Other students who included to the top 10 slots are P/Cdt Raymund B. Caguioa (4th); P/Cdt Michael Sula Sula Giner (5th); P/Cdt Nathaniel D. Faulve (6th); P/Cdt Kenneth F. Lumbre (7th); P/Cdt Roel R. Bata (8th); P/Cdt Mark Jonathan Z. Avillano (9th) and; P/Cdt Julie Anne L. Aguilar (10th).

At least 226 cadets or majority of the graduating class will join the Philippine National Police.

A total of 10 cadets, meanwhile, decided to join the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and 11 cadets to Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).

Lakandula Class of 2015 is composed of 227 male and 20 female graduates.

The graduates will receive a degree of Bachelor of Science in Public Safety (BSPS) and will enter as inspectors in their respective public safety bureaus. (PNP-PIO/PIA-4A)

- See more at: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2931425707880/247-cadets-to-graduate-from-pnpa#sthash.zVdpqIXO.dpuf

3. APEC 2015: STG Tagaytay remains at post

March 07, 2015

TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite, March 7 (PIA) — The security components, emergency response teams and other operational units of the Site Task Group (STG) Tagaytay will remain at its post despite the closure of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting on Friday.

Ground Commander Police Superintendent Ferdinand Quirante said that its security coverage and all anti criminality measures are still in place to ensure security of the delegates who will be extending their stay in this city. He further affirmed that all activities including offsite tours will still be closely monitored.

Police Supt. Quirante added that all emergency response teams are still positioned in strategic areas and fire strike teams are still alerted in case circumstances beyond control arise.

The STG Tagaytay has recorded zero untoward incident since the commencement of APEC 2015 Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting on Tuesday, March 3.

Police Supt. Quirante said that the success of the APEC 2015 security coverage is the result of their advanced security plans which they worked on since last year together with other law enforcement and government agencies.

The STG Tagaytay deployed at least 3, 137 PNP personnel to secure the area particularly the Taal Vista Hotel where all the meetings and dialogues were held.

The said task force is headed by Chief Superintendent Edwin Tapay Erni and is composed of law enforcement and government agencies including Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, Office of Civil Defense, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Philippine Coast Guard, Department of Finance, Department of Tourism, Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Metro Manila Development Authority and Philippine Information Agency. (PIA-4A)

- See more at: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2931425655091/apec-2015-stg-tagaytay-remains-at-post#sthash.nA56facs.dpuf

LAGUNA

DENR Region 4A to establish 8,588 hectares forest plantation in Quezon

March 10, 2015

CALAMBA CITY, Laguna, March 10 (PIA) --DENR Region 4A Calabarzon Regional Director Reynulfo Juan revealed during a National Greening Program (NGP) management conference held recently at the regional office in this city that more than 50 percent of DENR CALABARZON’s regional target of rehabilitating 17,164 hectares of degraded forestland under the NGP will be established in Quezon Province.

Juan further revealed that Quezon, the biggest province, their office will take charge of greening 8,588 hectares in 2015, Rizal follows with 5,337 hectares, Laguna with 3,019 hectares, Batangas, 200 and Cavite, 20.

Now entering its fifth year of implementation, the National Greening Program is a priority program of President Pnoy which started in 2011. The NGP targets to grow 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of public land from 2011 to 2016.

“We, in the Calabarzon region, are on target. To date, 63,038 hectares out of 119,070 hectares have been planted with 39 million seedlings. 17,164 hectares will be planted this year, and the remaining 38,868 will be done in 2016. That is our humble contribution to the President’s target of 1.5 million hectares planted with 1.5 billion trees,” said Juan

Forester Alfredo Palencia, Quezon Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) chief affirmed, “Quezon is tasked to establish 8,588 hectares new plantations within the province. That is a little more than fifty percent of the total regional target.”

Palencia also said the locations and areas have been identified. “We have also determined the suitable species to be planted in the specific areas, as well,” he added.

He enumerated the municipalities to be covered as Real and Gen. Nakar, and the municipalities in Pollillo Island--Burdeos, Polillo, Patnanungan, Jomalig and Panukulan; and the mainland’s Mauban, Tiaong, Sariaya, Padre Burgos, Pagbilao, Unisan, San Antonio, Atimonan, Gumaca, Quezon, Perez, Tagkawayan, Guinayangan, Calauag, San Francisco, Buenavista, Mulanay, San Narciso, San Andres, Macalelon, and Catanauan.

“These areas will be planted with more than 9 million seedlings and mangrove propagules. We will use indigenous species of forest trees, fruit bearing trees. We will also plant fuelwood such as kakawate, and economically viable plants such as coffee, cacao, bamboo and rattan,” he said.

“We have beefed up manpower facilitate implementation and ensure accomplishment of the set target. We have the support of 87 extension officers who are assigned in the Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices (CENROs). They will assist the NGP Site Coordinators in the establishment of new plantations, maintenance and protection of the already established plantations,” Palencia added.

Palencia reported that from 2011-2014, PENRO-Quezon contributed to about 2.13 percent and 38.08 percent of the national and regional NGP targets, respectively. DENR Quezon established a total of 31,999 hectares NGP plantations in the four years of implementation. These were planted with more than 24 million mangrove propagules, and seedlings of forest and fruit-trees species.

He said the DENR personnel, specifically NGP implementors and extension officers, together with partner people’s organizations join hands in conducting continuous monitoring, and maintenance and protection activities to ensure 85 percent or higher survival rate of planted seedlings in established plantations.

He said NGP adopts the social mobilization strategy and emphasizes that participation of all sectors of society is vital to the success of the program. The NGP, he added, also highlights that community participation is key to sustainability.

Palencia issued an invitation, “We are encouraging everyone especially those residing in the above-mentioned municipalities and its adjacent towns to be a DENR partner in this noble pursuit.”

2. RCC orients Batangas LGUs on competitiveness survey

March 06, 2015

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CALAMBA CITY, Laguna, Mar 6 (PIA) --The Calabarzon Regional Competitiveness Committee (RCC) is conducting a series of orientation seminars about the survey on Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI).

The orientation held in Lipa City on March 4 was attended by business permit and licensing officers and planning officers of the 25 local governments in the province of Batangas .

RCC Co-Chairman Director Donald Gawe said that the objective is to orient local governments on how to accomplish the 2015 CMCI data capture sheets.

Gawe told participants that the survey is a tool not solely for competitiveness but also a framework for planning and benchmarking for which a city or municipality could tell where it stands.

Marilou Quinco-Toledo, Regional Director of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Chairman of the RCC said that the CMCI survey is using 28 indicators grouped into three equally-weighted pillars: economic dynamism, governance efficiency and infrastructure of which scores on each pillar are combined to form the overall score used to rank cities and municipalities.

Toledo added that survey results will be the diagnoses of the current states of local governments and will be the basis in improving competitiveness.

Philippine Statistics Agency (PSA) Regional Director Rosalinda Bautista said that the RCC seeks to improve the competitiveness of local governments through measurement.

“What can not be measured, can not be assessed; thus can not be improved”, Bautista explained.

The Calabarzon RCC is composed of DTI, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine Statistics Agency (PSA) and is under the umbrella of the Calabarzon Regional Development Council. (Charlie S. Dajao/DTI Calabarzon/PIA-4A

08 MARCH 2015.

Malacanang joins the world celebration of Women's Day

APEC News Releases

APEC member economies could learn from Philippines' financial system, says Central Bank official

APEC member economies to create public private partnership knowledge portal to speed up infrastructure investments

APEC member economies could learn from Philippines' financial system, says Central Bank official

(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) The Philippines has a lot to share in terms of best financial practices, with fellow member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) if they want to emulate those initiatives, Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said Friday.

"I think we have distinguished ourselves in terms of undertaking initiatives in micro finance consumer protection and inclusive financial system," Guinigundo said during a press conference held at the Summit Ridge Hotel here following the two-day APEC Finance and Central Bank Deputies’ Meeting.

The initiatives under this umbrella include the tweaking of regulations to allow financial institutions to open up windows for micro finance, he said.

He explained that micro finance allows micro enterprises to borrow funds without collateral and without credit history, although the amount of the loan may be limited.

Other countries could also examine the Philippines' credit surety fund, which the Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas has initiated. This is leveraging on the country's cooperatives that allows them to borrow 10 times of their minimum P100,000 contribution, he said.

Under this set up, there is an oversight committee composed of cooperatives themselves, the Land Bank of the Philippines, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), the Industrial Guarantee Loan Fund, and the local government units, he said, adding that more than P1 billion has been granted under this framework.

The good combination of monetary policy and macro prudential policy is also something that the Philippines can share, he said.

Guinigundo said that in some jurisdictions, particularly in advanced economies, macro prudential measures are still in their early stages of being considered, much less implemented.

In the Philippines, these macro prudential measures serve as a means of ensuring financial stability in case of sector-specific shocks, particularly in asset markets, such as real estate properties, and at the same time on the conduct of monetary policy, he said.

The kind of financial reforms that the Philippines has undertaken would also be a good example, Guinigundo said, noting that the Philippines had implemented Basel III earlier than 2019 and it is moving quite prudently across the various components of Basel III, first with capitalization, and second with stable funding ratio, liquidity ratio, and others.

Basel III is a set of international banking regulations developed by the Bank for International Settlements to promote stability in the international financial system. The purpose of Basel III is to reduce the ability of banks to damage the economy by taking on excess risk.

"This is being done in a sequential, very prudent manner and this is also something that we like to share with them," he said.

Participants of the APEC Finance and Central Bank Deputies' Meeting wrapped up their two-day discussion held at the Taal Vista Hotel here Friday, with meeting results to be included in the Cebu Action Plan that will be launched in September. PND (as)

TOP

APEC member economies to create public private partnership knowledge portal to speed up infrastructure investments

(TAGAYTAY CITY, Cavite) Member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are gearing up to implement two initiatives that aim to leverage private funds towards public private partnership (PPP) projects, including the establishment of a regional PPP knowledge management portal.

In a press briefing at the close of the two-day APEC Finance and Central Bank Deputies’ Meeting here, Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo stressed that while many APEC economies and emerging markets have excess savings, financing for infrastructure development remains a problem.

“While we have the savings, we do not have a sufficient number of bankable and credible infrastructure projects. If we are able to provide the member countries with a sufficient number of projects that are bankable, that which can be taken immediately, I think we would have a good use for our excess savings,” he said.

Guinigundo said APEC finance and central bank deputies explored alternatives for financing infrastructure, including leveraging private funds to the PPP projects as well as the continuous disposition of public funds to advance the cost of infrastructure development in the region.

He said the creation of the PPP knowledge portal hopes to address this problem, as this will provide basic information on the opportunities in the region in terms of infrastructure development.

“It will provide the potential investors an idea of where the opportunities arise and are available and the kind of financing that is needed in the projects,” he added.

Guinigundo pointed out that some of the key components of the portal have already been completed by the Philippines’ PPP Center.

“What we want to do is also to link that knowledge portal with other PPP portals. So you will have an APEC PPP portal,” he said.

Apart from this initiative, Guinigundo said the Philippines is also pushing for “standardized” PPP contracts, considering the differences in terms of legal framework across the APEC economies.

“But the idea was to provide some kind of template, the key features of what a PPP contract should have. (This is) so that we can uphold good governance in conducting those PPP projects and in the process, encourage more interest in the PPP (program),” he said.

The BSP official said standardizing PPP contracts would be very important in facilitating infrastructure investments.

“Both (initiatives) are short term, so these will be done within one to two years. We will try to do these very quickly,” said Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran. PNA (ldv)

TOP

Malacanang joins the world celebration of Women's Day

Malacañang on Sunday joined in the celebration of the Women’s Day held every 8th of March around the world.

“Nakikiisa ang pamahalaan sa buong mundo sa pagdiriwang ng Pandaigdigang Araw ng Kababaihan. Kinikilala ng pamahalaan ang mahalagang papel at kontribusyon ng kababaihan sa ating lipunan, ‘di lamang bilang ilaw ng ating mga tahanan, kung hindi bilang isang matibay na haligi sa patuloy na pag-angat ng ating ekonomiya,” said Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr., in a radio interview with dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.

In 1990, Congress declared the month of March as the Women’s Month through Republic Act 6949. The same law designated March 8 every year as National Women’s Day, which is a Working Special Holiday.

According to the Philippine Commission on Women, this year’s theme is “Juana, Desisyon mo ay Mahalaga sa Kinabukasan ng Bawat Isa. Ikaw Na!”

“Sa loob ng mahigit na apat na taon ng Aquino administration, higit pang pinaigting ng pamahalaan ang pagpapatupad ng mga programa na magsusulong ng malaya at bukas na pakikilahok at maayos na pagkakatawan ng mga kababaihan sa lahat ng aspeto ng pagbabalangkas ng mga desisyon at pambansang polisiya,” Coloma added.

In the 2014 Global Gender Gap Report conducted by the World Economic Forum, the Philippines ranked 9th and the only country from Asia out of 142 countries surveyed regarding gender equality and promotion of women’s rights. PND (ag)

TOP

07 MARCH 2015.

Palace vows continuing assistance to Central Mindanao evacuees

Aquino administration continues anti-poverty efforts, says official

Official: Government committed to permanently solving port congestion problem

APEC News Releases

APEC member economies could learn from Philippines' financial system, says Central Bank official

APEC member economies to create public private partnership knowledge portal to speed up infrastructure investments

APEC member economies could learn from Philippines' financial system, says Central Bank official

TOP

APEC member economies to create public private partnership knowledge portal to speed up infrastructure investments

TOP

Palace vows continuing assistance to Central Mindanao evacuees

Malacanang made an assurance that it will continue to help more than 16,000 families affected by the ongoing conflict in central Mindanao until stability is restored in the area.

In a radio interview Saturday, Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said 16,111 families in 59 barangays are affected by the conflict.

There are 49 evacuation centers catering to 13,261 families, she added citing data from the National Disaster Risk and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The national government has so far released P16.6-million worth of relief assistance, Valte told dzRB Radyo Ng Bayan.

Asked to comment on reports about the possible tactical alliance between groups that are not part of the peace talks like the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group, Valte said the military will just do its mandate to neutralize other rebel and terrorist groups.

“Ipagpapatuloy lang ng ating armed forces ang kanilang mga operasyon laban sa mga ganitong grupo,” she said.

"At alam naman natin na hindi lang sila isang armed group, alam din natin ang mga activities nila. In the case of the Abu Sayyaf, obviously bandits ang mga ito; it’s a bandit group so tuloy ang operasyon ng ating AFP." PND (as)

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Aquino administration continues anti-poverty efforts, says official

The Aquino government will continue pursuing anti-poverty initiatives to lift more poor people out of poverty especially after a report on rising poverty rate was released.

A recent report said that the poverty rate in the country rose to nearly 26 percent in the first half of 2014 because of high food prices and the effects of typhoons that hit the country.

But Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio interview Saturday that the scope of the study was in the last six months of 2013 and January to June of 2014.

"Medyo iba ang mga kondisyon ng panahon na iyon at kahit sinabi naman ng NEDA (National Economic Development Authority) na may epekto rin ang pagdating ng bagyong ‘Yolanda’ dahil doon sa mga datos na nakuha nila," Valte told dzRB by Radyo ng Bayan.

"I think between the time that the study was made and ngayon, medyo malaki na rin ang difference ng naging pagbaba naman ng mga presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin dahil na rin sa naging pagbaba sa presyo ng gasolina at ng krudo."

Valte also said that although the government expanded the coverage of the conditional cash transfer program (CCT), the Department of Social Welfare and Development also carried out efforts to clean up its list of beneficiaries.

The DSWD delisted beneficiaries that were not complying with conditions of the CCT program.

"So nagkaroon ito ng epekto doon sa numero ng mga benepisyaryo na tumanggap ng mga grant para sa CCT—at least for the period that the NEDA studied," she said.

"Ngayon na tapos na ang cleaning up and delisting ng mga hindi na eligible na mga beneficiaries, mas marami na rin ang nako-cover ngayon ng CCT."

The Palace official also made an assurance that the government will continue to pursue efforts that would help alleviate poverty in the country.

Among these initiatives include encouraging investors to put their money in the Philippines and made existing local industries to be competitive, she said. PND (as)

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Official: Government committed to permanently solving port congestion problem

The Palace said the government is ready to work with private business groups to eventually solve the port congestion problem especially as imports pick up during peak months.

The Semiconductors and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Inc., PhilExport, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, and other business groups issued a statement saying the port congestion problem is not fully resolved.

This contradicts the previous government statement that it was able to remedy port congestion problem in the ports of Manila.

These business groups said this remains to be seen because the months of January, and February are lean seasons, the time government declared lesser volume. When the peak months set in, they doubt the current container volume could be sustained.

In a radio interview Saturday, Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the government is aware that seasons change and that there are different needs depending on a particular season.

"But we would like to assure them that we intend to have the situation to remain the same; una, ina-anticipate na natin ‘na in particular months of the year ay dadami ang volume ng mga dumadaan doon sa mga ports natin; at pangalawa, we do intend to sustain the current situation," she said.

"We are always ready to communicate and to work with these groups to hear their suggestions as well as their concerns." PND (as)

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09 MARCH 2015

Good gov initiatives bolstered in 2015 GAA; Abad: Budget boost to strengthen public institutions, LGUs

Govt backs PNP with P2.83-B fund for facilities, equipment; Abad: Transformation plan to strengthen police capability

DTI SSF Cavite bio-compost facility targets 5000 household beneficiaries

DTI urges investors to support growth opportunities in Agribusiness and Logistics in Northern Mindanao

A baby from heaven

Spam e-mail not from us - POEA

OWWA Caraga opens 76 scholarship slots for OFW dependents

APEC finance and central bank deputies seek to boost region’s financial resiliency, infrastructure dev’t

DOLE, IBPAP joint action plan moves BPO sector closer to culture of voluntary compliance with labor laws, OSH—Baldoz

After joint assessment of security service firm, 21 guards receive P722-K in monetary awards after corrective action

Roxas: nation awaits BOI report

Timeline to Peace

PHL Ambassador to South Korea calls on PHL Organizations to apply for accreditation for climate financing

Filipino spirit displayed with youthful energy at Battle of the Barrios XI in New York

Renovation of MRT-3 comfort rooms begins DOTC eyes completion of all 63 toilet facilities by September 2015

Paje bats for Ph accession to Nagoya protocol

Zamboanga Sibugay mayor, 4 others face graft raps

HCI Portal: Benefit availment made easier

Kenyans Place 1-2 in male division of 20K leg in NCR PhilHealth run

BSP hosts meeting of the Financial Stability Board Regional Consultative Group for Asia

Good gov initiatives bolstered in 2015 GAA; Abad: Budget boost to strengthen public institutions, LGUs

Source: http://www.dbm.gov.ph

To protect the general interest of its citizens, the National Government has increased funding for agencies that reinforce the government thrust for reforms, as well as for programs that strengthen public institutions and local governments.

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said, “Good governance has been at the core of everything we’ve done in the past few years. As such, the 2015 National Budget prioritizes funding of agencies and programs that push the principles of participation, transparency, and accountability.”

In support of the Administration’s anti-corruption drive and to strengthen the integrity of public institutions, the Office of the Ombudsman received a budget of P550 million—up from P529 million in 2014—for corruption deterrence services, including investigation, fact-finding, and prosecution. In addition, the Sandiganbayan was allocated P287 million for the adjudication of graft and corruption cases, slightly higher as compared to their 2014 budget of P283 million.

As part of the Administration’s good governance push (especially with targeted frontline services), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) was allocated P1.1 billion, up from P978 million in 2014. Of this amount, P193 million will be set aside for the processing of NBI clearance documents. On the other hand, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) was allocated P10 billion for the provision of diplomatic and consular services—including the processing and issuance of 3.2 million e-passports—up from P9.2 billion in 2014.

Meanwhile, the National Government will sustain efforts to simplify business transactions in the country with the Business Permits and Licensing System (BPLS). To this end, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) received P9 million to raise the number of local government units (LGUs) compliant with the BPLS to 1,500.

Another flagship initiative that received additional funding was the LGU Capacity Development Program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). This program—which was allotted P3.2 billion, up from P2.8 billion in the previous year—aims to improve the capacity and performance of LGUs, and assists them in implementing priority high-impact projects.

Part of this program includes support for the implementation of the Seal of Good Local Governance (previously the Seal of Good Housekeeping), the Local Government Performance Management System (LGPMS), and the Performance Challenge Fund. In particular, the Performance Challenge Fund serves as a strong incentive to LGUs to perform well so as to achieve their objectives for their constituents.

Lastly, the National Government has released P20.9 billion to various agencies for the implementation of 14,300 Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) projects in cities and municipalities nationwide to empower communities and strengthen local governments.

Abad said, “Programs such as these need strong budgetary support so that the changes they effect in governance and service delivery can be institutionalized beyond the current administration. Our ultimate goal is a government that does everything in its power to extend to every Filipino the fruits of our economic growth.”

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Govt backs PNP with P2.83-B fund for facilities, equipment; Abad: Transformation plan to strengthen police capability

Source: http://www.dbm.gov.ph

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P2.83 billion to the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the improvement of the police force’s infrastructure, facilities, and equipment.
Charged against the P22.47-billion Supplemental Appropriations for FY 2014, this release would cover the implementation of the PNP’s Operational Transformation Plan (OTP). The OTP’s requirements would need Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) amounting to P142.6 million as well as Capital Outlay (CO) expenses worth P2.69 billion.
Budget and Management Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said, “We recognize that inclusive development would require a safe and secure environment where all Filipinos can benefit from the country’s economic growth. That’s why one of the priority projects funded by the 2014 Supplemental Budget was a program that would improve the capability of our country’s law-enforcement agency.”
The fund would cover appropriations for mobility, firearms, communication, investigation, ISO equipment, and infrastructure facilities of the PNP. Of the P2.8 billion, almost half will be for the procurement of 218,790 firearms worth P1.04 billion. This is followed closely by the purchase of 945 motor vehicles, which would amount to P944.5 million.
The breakdown of the release is as follows:

ITEM	QUANTITY	AMOUNT
MOBILITY Motor Vehicles	945	P944,456,625
FIREARMS Basic Assault Rifle Basic Assault Rifle Magazine	17,680 201,110	P1,044,888,000
COMMUNICATION Communication System	99	P99,940,000
INVESTIGATION Firearms Identification System (FIS) Firearms Testing Firing Equipment Water Bullet Recovery System Cotton Bullet Recovery System	1 Lot 133 23 110	P562,421,627
ISO EQUIPMENT Maneuver Unit Property Supplies	1 Lot	P14,000,000
INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES FIS Extension Building Repair/Rehab/Repaint of Police Station	1	P167,575,748
TOTAL		P2,833,282,000

Abad said, “Despite the challenges facing the PNP, the National Government fully supports the police force in fulfilling their mandate to prevent crime and maintain peace and order. In doing so, we place value not only on the PNP as an organization but also on the service and sacrifice of our valiant and fearless policemen.”
Lodged under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the PNP received a total appropriation of P70 billion in the 2015 National Budget.

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DTI SSF Cavite bio-compost facility targets 5000 household beneficiaries

Source: http://www.dti.gov.ph

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) through its Shared Service Facility (SSF) Project rolled out a bio-composting facility to be operated by the Municipal Government of Mendez, Cavite which will produce 180,000 kilograms (kg) of organic compost and bio-liquid fertilizers for the year.

About 50 members of the Modern Farmers Association of Mendez will be the direct beneficiaries of the Mendez Ecological Processing Center. Other sectors that would benefit from the project are vegetable, fish, and poultry vendors grouped into clusters; food service providers (carinderia, restaurants, etc.); the more than 5,000 households in Mendez; and traders of organic compost fertilizers.

Mendez, primarily an agricultural town, is being considered for development prospects that would attract investors in leisure and entertainment and ecotourism. Faced with the challenge, the municipal government initiated programs among them eco-waste management to encourage farming especially to the unemployed youth.

The aim of the eco-waste management program is to reduce solid wastes dumped and accumulated in the landfill, and at the same time produce organic compost which can be a source of alternative livelihood. The expected effort is multi-pronged: providing balance between economic growth and ecological stability; entrepreneurship; and creating jobs for 30 individuals mostly from the small-to-backyard farmers’ group.

With its increasing population, Mendez generates 7 tons of garbage daily of which more than half is compostable. Currently, solid wastes are being collected and dumped in a sanitary landfill with no processes being done aside from the segregation. The bio-composting facility will reduce 56% of the solid waste and convert into organic compost fertilizer which can be used by local farmers at a more affordable price.

Wastes of market vendors grouped in clusters will be processed, of which 50% of processed products shall be given back to the clusters satisfying to a certain extend the compost needs of those with agribusiness ventures. The remaining half will be retained at the eco processing center.

Cavite Provincial Director Noly Guevara said that DTI is keen on the potential micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to be created as well as the benefits to the farmers who will use organic compost instead of synthetic fertilizers.

Mendez Mayor Fredderick Vida accepted the machinery and equipment from DTI offering as the Mendez Municipality’s counterpart the lot with the building yet to be completed to house the facility. He expressed an expectation for the project to restore the lost interest of the younger generation for farming, likewise, to strengthen the system being currently coordinated with the barangay officials for a full (100%) waste segregation.

“This would be the start of a new partnership with various government agencies for a better Mendez. The SSF Program will definitely play a major role for us to achieve our goals for a safer, healthier and cleaner environment," Vida said.

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DTI urges investors to support growth opportunities in Agribusiness and Logistics in Northern Mindanao

Source: http://www.dti.gov.ph

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in a meeting with Northern Mindanao business leaders discussed updates on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the country’s European Strategy. Close to 170 stakeholders attended the “Updates on the Philippine International Trade Strategy: Doing Business in Free Trade Areas (DBFTA) Dialogue with Business Leaders” held at the Limketkai Luxe Hotel in Cagayan de Oro City on 5 March 2015.

DTI Assistant Secretary Ceferino S. Rodolfo met with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and local industries in Region 10 to discuss mechanisms for assistance and development.

“Opportunities abound for growth and investment in fields such as agriculture, food processing, service-related industries and trade infrastructure services. Moving forward, we need to entice more investors to come in and work closely with them so our local industries can provide the demand of our target markets abroad,” Rodolfo added.

Rodolfo said that the Philippines has already created open market access for industries and SMEs through tariff free trading across the borders of ASEAN and for more than 6,000 products for export to Europe. He added that Northern Mindanao is at the cusp of a breakthrough in reaping the benefits of international trade.

“Access to technology and more sophisticated equipment will aid SMEs in increasing their competitiveness and marketability,” DTI-10 Officer-in-Charge Regional Director Linda O. Boniao said. She further explained, “The ultimate goal of DTI is to increase the production capacity of SMEs because supplying the volume required by the domestic market alone has been a challenge.”

The DTI has been working in partnership with other international organizations to identify specific interventions to assist the local SMEs in building capacity for production, packaging and promotion, among others.

Northern Mindanao, composed of nine cities and five provinces, is the largest regional economy in the island of Mindanao. In Bukidnon, the DTI, through its Shared Service Facility (SSF) Project, partnered with the Hineleban Foundation, Inc. (HFI) to acquire post-harvest and processing equipment for their famous coffee produce. Even transnational corporations such as Del Monte Philippines Inc. (DMPI) has set their sights on increasing their production. Eugene Gerong, DMPI’s Senior Manager for Pineapple Growing, said since Del Monte Philippines acquired Del Monte US last year DMPI is now expanding operations to increase output and remain competitive.

A major element in preparing Region 10 for increased international trade is ensuring the efficiency of the region’s logistics network. The DTI also conducted an ocular inspection of the Mindanao International Container Terminal Services Inc. (MICT) in Cagayan de Oro. Even with its current capacity of 270,000 20-foot container vans, the MICT has plans to expand both its berth length and container yard to help ease port congestion in Metro Manila.

“Other major ports outside of Metro Manila will be the gateway of our local SMEs and industries to their foreign markets, while at the national level, the continuing initiatives to ease port congestion will improve country productivity and allow us to deftly adapt to dynamic global market needs,” Rodolfo said, adding that “advancing logistics is one of the key factors to maximize the benefits of international trade. A predictable and secure logistics network will help us realize the gains from regional economic integration."

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A baby from heaven

Source: http://www.dswd.gov.ph

“We prayed to God that He may bless us with a child and He surprised us with a calling for adoption. We obeyed Him and accepted for this is what He wants us to have, a baby from heaven.”

This was how Marius and Angelene Calungcaguin described their 2-years and 4-months-old adopted boy, Pio.

“Our favorite saint is St. Pio, so we wanted to name our baby boy after him. But it turned out that his original name is Piolo, so we just shortened it,” Angelene narrated.

She added that Pio was proof of “divine confirmation” – that God intended them to adopt a child.

Deciding to adopt

“After being married for four years and going through a lot of medical tests, procedures, and medications, we just said, ‘Lord, ikaw na po ang bahala (Lord, we leave it all up to you)’ and He led us to Pio,” Angeline continued.

Prior to their decision to adopt, the young couple was already exposed to children through serving as organizers of MAKE PEACE COOKIES.org in 2012, a project that focused on reaching out to children in orphanages and child-caring institutions.

Serving as volunteers in orphanages and child-caring institutions bolstered their desire to have a child of their own. However, Marius admitted that he was hesitant at first.

“I was reluctant to adopt a child because I still [had] doubts about my readiness to be a father. My experiences were limited to taking care of my nieces, nephews, and younger cousins, but it is not the same compared to bringing up your own child,” Marius candidly stated.

While he was thinking things through, Angeline was quietly preparing the legal documents.

“I prayed, Lord if this [adoption] is for us, You will give it to us,” she said.

And it truly proved to be God’s will. “[When] my wife completed the papers, I felt I was ready,” Marius narrated.

The young couple adopted their baby through the Kaisahang Buhay Foundation (KBF), a child-caring agency licensed and accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

They went through the whole process of legally adopting Pio, from attending the adoption forum organized by KBF and preparing the documents, to finally meeting their baby boy.

Angelene recalled the first time they saw Pio. “It’s as if the baby knew us. He smiled and immediately hugged my husband.”

From then on, the three of them formed an unbreakable bond nurtured by love.

“Having the cutest, sweetest, [most] hyper active, and most loving kid on the block is the best thing that happened to us. Our lives changed and it is all for the best,” the couple joyfully said.

Advocating legal adoption

As part of its advocacy on legal adoption, DSWD spearheads the observance of Adoption Consciousness Week every February.

This year’s theme, “Legal na Ampon Ako: Anak na Totoo (A Child Finds Worth in Adoption),” emphasizes that there is no distinction between an adopted and a biological child because their rights are the same.

DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman underscored the value of legal adoption. “Institutionalization should be the last recourse because there is no substitute for loving parents who will care for and nurture these children. Legal adoption serves to protect and promote the best interest of the child.”

DSWD, in partnership with accredited child-caring and placement agencies like KBF and Norfil Foundation, Inc., seeks to find loving families and stable homes for abandoned, neglected, and surrendered children.

To date, a total of 6,896 children have been placed for domestic adoption since 2009.

Those who want to adopt should be of legal age, at least 16 years older than the adoptee, can assume all the rights and duties of a parent, of good moral character and has not been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude, and has undergone pre-adoption services as specified in adoption laws.

For those who are interested to adopt, they may contact the DSWD Field Offices in their area and child-placing agencies, such as KBF and Norfil Foundation, Inc.

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OWWA Caraga opens 76 scholarship slots for OFW dependents

Source: http://www.owwa.gov.ph

Butuan City (March 3) – The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Regional Welfare Office -13 is now accepting applications for OFW Dependents Scholarship Program (OFWDSP) for the school year 2015-2016.

OFWDSP is offered to legal dependents of active OFWs who receive monthly salaries of not more than $400 US.

Overseas Workers Welfare Officer II and Scholarship Coordinator, Rodel Deligero said “seventy-six scholarship slots are open this year for Caraganon OFW dependents. Of this number, twelve (12) slots are intended for the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Province. While twenty (20) slots for the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte respectively.”

Qualified applicants for the program must be 21 years old below who have no units earned yet in college.

“OFW dependents or beneficiaries who wish to apply for the scholarship program must submit their documentary requirements to the regional welfare office not later than April 30, 2015,” bared Deligero.

Individuals who want to avail of the program should submit an accomplished application form; two copies 2×2 pictures (studio shot/white background); proof of relationship to OWWA member (birth certificate of applicant or birth certificate of both the single OFW and the applicant-dependent and certificate of no marriage duly certified by the Local Civil Registrar or NSO, if OFW is single, proof of OWWA membership; and form 137/High school report card.

The scholarship program offers P20,000.00 financial assistance per school year leading to a baccalaureate or associate degree in a state college or university.

Deligero opined that “the financial assistance covers the tuition fees of the scholars which are directly paid to the school and the remaining amount goes to the scholars upon submission of the required documents such as certificate of registration, official receipt and grades for the semester.”

“In cases where a scholar has to pay in advance the school fees, they are advised to reimburse their expenses by presenting requisite documents and receipts,” Deligero added.

As of this period, there are 148 scholarship grantees under OFWDSP and twenty-three (23) scholars have already graduated.

For more information relative to this program, Deligero urged clients to visit OWWA regional welfare office 13 at Nimfa Tiu Building II at J.P. Rosales Avenue, this city.

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APEC finance and central bank deputies seek to boost region’s financial resiliency, infrastructure dev’t

Source: http://www.dof.gov.ph

TAGAYTAY CITY, PHILIPPINES — Deputies of finance ministries and central banks across APEC member-economies zeroed in on the agenda of achieving financial resiliency and infrastructure development, recognizing risks to the region’s growth prospects.

While Asia-Pacific economies are some of the fastest growing in the world, threats to sustainability of growth and to the goal of accelerating poverty reduction in the region linger. These include external shocks, such as weak global demand, impact of monetary policies in advanced economies, and natural disasters.

“The recognition of the need for financial resiliency and infrastructure development has put these on the APEC agenda. Boosting financial resiliency and infrastructure development poses the benefit of ensuring that economic gains of the region can be sustained. Also, it gives a better fighting chance for member-economies to enhance inclusivity of growth moving forward,” the Philippines’ Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran said Friday, the last day of the APEC Finance and Central Bank Deputies’ Meeting, which runs from 5-6 March, 2015.

Financial resiliency and infrastructure development are the third and fourth pillars, respectively, of the Cebu Action Plan, which is a medium to long-term development road map for Asia-Pacific economies, proposed by the Philippines.

The third pillar calls for measures that will deepen financial markets in the region to strengthen the ability of economies to absorb shocks. With higher volume of funds and availability of more financial instruments in the market, sources of financing for development initiatives widen.

Moreover, the third pillar requires governments to have sufficient fiscal buffers that economies may draw from in times of stress.

In the case of the Philippines, for instance, efforts to trim the government’s budget deficit and bring down the debt burden over the past decade have given the economy ample fiscal space to respond to shocks. Expenses required for reconstruction and recovery of areas hit by natural disasters, for example, were partly accommodated by the national budget without causing fiscal woes.

The fourth pillar calls for measures that will help increase sources of and ease accessibility to funds for infrastructure projects.

In the case of the Philippines, it has strengthened its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program to allow the private sector to invest in more public infrastructure projects. Also, the government has been consistently raising the allocation in the budget for infrastructure.

Despite existing efforts in the Philippines and other economies toward financial resiliency and infrastructure development, delegates still recognized the need to implement more measures. This is in recognition of the unpredictable nature and magnitude of external shocks.

The two other pillars of the Cebu Action Plan are: (1) financial integration and (2) fiscal transparency and policy reform. These two were discussed on the first day of the APEC deputies’ meeting.

In its hosting of the meeting, the Philippines shared its own efforts that are in line with the four pillars. Besides strengthening its fiscal position through tax and administrative reforms and increasing infrastructure investments to 5% of GDP by 2016, the Philippines also has made public vital fiscal data and has implemented reforms in the budget process.

Moreover, it has also implemented measures that liberalized the financial sector, a move that serves as a prerequisite for financial integration in the APEC region. All these reforms and investments contribute to the virtuous cycle the Philippines is enjoying; with robust fiscal space to support even more growth.
The Philippines’ Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima in a statement welcomed these developments as the Finance and Central Bank Deputies’ Meeting comes to a close.
“As we know in very well here in the Philippines, shocks like natural disasters and volatility in the global economy seriously threaten our shared goals to make growth sustainable and translate these gains into reducing inequality and poverty.
“Building structures and buffers through the Cebu Action Plan to buttress against these threats makes for a less vulnerable and more resilient Asia-Pacific region. Infrastructure development, on the other hand, is our region’s investment towards future growth. Enhanced connectivity and mobility to support our growing populations will allow economies in the Asia-Pacific region to capitalize on their demographic dividends.
“I thank all the finance and central bank deputies of APEC member economies for coming together to build a more inclusive and resilient future for all our populations. I hope the scenic view in Tagaytay offered fresh perspectives and fond memories to the delegates as they return back home,” Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said.

The discussions made during the meeting will be forwarded to the APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting, which will be held in Cebu City in September.

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DOLE, IBPAP joint action plan moves BPO sector closer to culture of voluntary compliance with labor laws, OSH—Baldoz

Source: http://www.dole.gov.ph

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday expressed confidence that the country’s burgeoning business process outsourcing sector will even more attract foreign investments that will create thousands of decent and productive jobs with the DOLE’s and Information Technology-Business Process Association of the Philippines’s partnership agreement and joint action plan moving at a faster pace.
Commenting to the report of Executive Director Ma. Teresita Cucueco, M.D. on the progress of the DOLE-IBPAP joint action plan, Baldoz said:
“It is heartwarming to know that the agreement of the DOLE and the IBPAP is right on focus: addressing the concerns of the BPO sector on Labor Laws and Occupational Safety and Health Standards compliance.”
Director Cucueco reported the other day that DOLE-IBPAP technical working committee had conducted follow through activities to implement the action plan specified in the Memorandum of Agreement signed by Secretary Baldoz and IBPAP President Jose Mari Mercado last year.
“We have already conducted six orientation sessions on general labor and occupational safety and health laws module for 146 IBPAP member companies since June last year, the latest of which was on 16 February where officers, human resource development officers, and safety officers attended. We have included in the orientation module a four-hour discussion on alternative dispute resolution system using industry-specific situational cases,” reported Cucueco.
“The number is already 50 percent of the 288 IBPAP members,” she added.
The DOLE-IBPAP agreement aims to build a culture of voluntary compliance with GLS and OSHS among the BPO sector by the end of 2015, and this, according to Baldoz, is right on target.

Cucueco reported that satisfaction with the orientation sessions—which covered LLCS overview, General Labor Laws, Occupational Safety and Health Standards, and Alternative Dispute Resolution System—both in their value and effectiveness of the speakers were “very good”.

To complement the orientation, the DOLE had also developed information, education, and communication materials on GLS, OSHS and labor relations, which have been distributed and shared with all IBPAP members.
“These resources include many materials available in the DOLE website, including copies of the applicable laws, regulations, guidelines, templates, lists of consultants/accredited safety personnel, and the like,” Cucueco said.
Another goal of the DOLE-IBPAP agreement is to develop a body of information on GLS, OSHS, and labor relations situations in the IT-BPM industry to serve as a baseline for future monitoring of progress of actions taken under the joint action plan.
Another report of the Bureau of Working Conditions shows that as of December 2014, a total 171, or 70 percent, of 244 IBPAP members have completed joint assessment. Of the 171 members assessed, 96, or 56 percent, had no violations, and 30 IBPAP members have been issued certificates of compliance.
“The joint assessment results for most of these companies are undergoing validation by DOLE-NCR,” said BWC Executive Director Catherine Legados-Parado.
Reporting on the way forward, Director Cucueco said the technical working group will soon meet again to bring non-IBPAP members to the orientation sessions scheduled this year; to prepare other IEC materials for use by BPOs based on the needs gathered during the orientation sessions; and to develop BPO-specific, mandatory OSH training courses.
Baldoz lauded the IBPAP for its serious and active partnership with the DOLE in implementing the agreement, and assured the industry that the DOEL will continue to assist companies that need to improve their compliances to GLS and OSHS until these companies are ready to be re-evaluated as part of the COC awarding process.

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After joint assessment of security service firm, 21 guards receive P722-K in monetary awards after corrective action

Source: http://www.dole.gov.ph

“Relieved.” “Happy.” “Grateful.” These were just some of the words of 21 security guards after they personally received their checks at the DOLE Regional Office No. 7 last week. The checks represent the monetary awards as a result of the corrections made by their employer after their security agency undergone joint assessment under the new Labor Law Compliance System and was found to not have complied with labor laws. Ricky Delfin of Guadalupe, Carcar City, head guard and leader of the 21 security guards of Probe Security Agency, was one of the recipients of the monetary award. He received P83,861.15 for having been underpaid of his wages and not paid holiday pay while he worked at at KRC Building Subangdaku, Mandaue City. Together, they used to work for La Nueva Supermart, Incorporated at Minglanilla, Cebu. Now a motorcycle-for-hire driver, Delfin said that the P83,861.15 award he received was a huge help to his family. “I thought that this time would no longer come. We lost our jobs after we pursued our claims,” he said, revealing how overjoyed he was that the DOLE acted fast upon discovering the labor standard violations committed by their employers. According to Delfin, the DOLE motivated them to pursue their claims. “We really deeply felt that our rights as workers had been violated. “The DOLE’s intervention was instrumental so we would finally get what we hoped for after we got fired.” The DOLE Regional Office No. 7 conducted a routine inspection, now called joint assessment (JA), at Probe Security Agency on 26 June 2013. “That routine inspection showed the security guards were not paid minimum wages; underpaid of their regular holiday pay; and were not premium pay for special holidays. There was also no night shift differentials pay, no overtime pay, and no service incentive leave pay,” said DOLE 7 OIC Regional Director Exequiel R. Sarcauga. Apart from these, Sarcauga revealed there was also non-coverage or non-presentation of remittances of SSS, Philhealth, and Pag-ibig. He further said that these were clear manifestations that the rights of said workers had been violated. The regional office computed the entitlement of the affected workers, which reached P722,176.29, which amount was paid jointly by Probe Security Agency and La Nueva Supermart, Inc. “The award was distributed among the 21 security guards accordingly. On 3 February 2015, the affected workers came together and personally claimed their checks at the office of the DOLE 7. Assistant Regional Director Joel M. Gonzales congratulated the staff and personnel of the DOLE who religiously did their job and manned the summary hearings conducted at that time which led to the resolution of the claim. “We would like to reiterate that what we do now is no longer inspectorate in nature, but is something done in a developmental way through the conduct of JA. There is no need for any establishment to fear the DOLE. If there are deficiencies found during a joint assessment, the DOLE offers itself to assist the concerned establishment correct these deficiencies until such time that the establishment becomes labor laws compliant,” Gonzales said. “It is our vision that every Filipino worker attains full, decent, and productive employment, so we work hard to promote gainful employment opportunities and protect workers and promote their welfare,” Director Sarcauga, himself, said. For more information on this report, contact Luchel S. Taniza- Regional Labor Communication Officer, at telefax number (032) 266-2792 or send an email at dole_centralvisayas@yahoo.com.

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Roxas: nation awaits BOI report

Source: http://www.dilg.gov.ph/

In the interest of truth and accountability, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas said that he, along with millions of Filipinos, is expecting the release of the Board of Inquiry (BOI) report on the Mamasapano incident tomorrow.

BOI Chairman Benjamin Magalong, Director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), earlier stated that they will submit their report on Monday to Philippine National Police (PNP) Officer-in-Charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, in compliance with the latest deadline set for the investigating body.

According to Roxas, he will immediately submit a copy of the report to the President upon receipt, as well as to investigating bodies such as the Senate and the House of Representatives.

In an earlier statement, Roxas highlighted five questions that both he and the wider public expect to be answered by the report.

1. Matino ba ang plano?

2. Ginawa ba at nagawa ba ang lahat para masiguro ang kaligtasan ng ating mga tropa?

3. Nasunod ba ang atas at utos ng Pangulo?

4. Meron ba, at kung meron nga, ano ang partisipasyon ng mga Amerikano sa operasyong ito?

5. Sa equipment, gumana ba ng maayos ang mga radyo, vest, baril, at bala ng ating mga tropa?

"Katanungan ko ang mga ito at palagay ko katanungan din ng ating mga kababayan," Roxas remarked.

The Senate is expected to publish its own report this month before it adjourns whereas Congress deferred its hearings until the BOI report is released.

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Timeline to Peace

Source: http://www.opapp.gov.ph

It was in July 2010, or barely a month after he was sworn into office, that President Benigno Aquino III assembled a new panel to resume peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. A year later, in August 2011,

Mr. Aquino met with MILF chair Murad Ebrahim in Tokyo to hash out the formal resumption of the peace process, which got underway in December of that year. It took about 10 months for the government and MILF peace panels to agree on a framework agreement that would govern the peace talks. The agreement, signed on Oct. 15, 2012, stipulated that the two sides needed to work on four major areas—transitional mechanisms, power-sharing, wealth-sharing and normalization—before a final peace document can be signed and the new political entity called Bangsamoro proposed by the agreement submitted to Congress for voting.

It took another year and three months before the two panels signed, on Jan. 25, 2014, the normalization annex, the last of the four documents that make up the comprehensive peace agreement. The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law that would govern the new entity has since been submitted to Congress for deliberation; it remains pending in both the Senate and the House. Once it acquires congressional imprimatur, it will be subjected to a referendum in the areas in Mindanao covered by the new autonomous region.

Why is it important to recall this timeline? Because, to hear it from the critics not only of the BBL but also of the government’s very tack of talking peace with the MILF, the current negotiations have been a hasty, reckless and careless process meant to secure “peace at all costs” so that, as the canard goes, Mr. Aquino can bid for a Nobel Peace Prize. The timeline—going for five years now—testifies otherwise, and highlights instead the measured and painstaking efforts that the two panels invested in the delicate work of forging peace for a region long in need of it.

Before the Mamasapano debacle that left 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force dead when they raided a known MILF lair in pursuit of two terrorists (18 MILF fighters and at least five civilians were also killed), hardly a peep was heard from these now-rabid critics of the peace process. But now all gloves are off, with the war drumbeats by sundry keyboard warriors drowning out any rational discussion of the continuing need for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Mindanao.

Former assemblyman Homobono Adaza has raised the argument to a more incendiary level by formally charging Mr. Aquino and his Cabinet with treason for having negotiated a peace agreement with the MILF and supporting the BBL which he calls, this early, an “unconstitutional” bill. Now, how fundamentally different is the Aquino-MILF peace process with the earlier one entered into by President Fidel Ramos with the Moro National Liberation Front? That one resulted in a final peace agreement in 1996 that saw the MNLF lay down its arms and Nur Misuari become head of the newly created Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The ARMM was itself created through an act of Congress in 1989, or about seven years before Ramos concluded a deal with Misuari. If talking peace with rebel groups is by itself a treasonous act, per Adaza, then Ramos must be guilty of it, too—along with everyone else who went along with the government-MNLF deal.

Adaza also says the BBL is even more unconstitutional than the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain signed by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo with the MILF, which was struck down by the Supreme Court for being contrary to law. He conveniently leaves aside the fact that, while the Court slammed the process that led to the MOA-AD as “whimsical, capricious, oppressive, arbitrary and despotic,” it never declared as treasonous, or injurious to the interests of the republic, the very act of the government trying to explore peace with rebel groups.

The Court’s message in its ruling was that any negotiation for peace should go through a thorough, transparent and extracareful process, vetted by all proposed stakeholders in it. The sober, deliberate and open manner that characterized the government-MILF discussions, leading to landmarks that no other negotiation before it has managed to do, indicates that the process was marked by sincerity and good faith on both sides.

The serious, judicious work in trying to bring peace to Mindanao is not what is inimical to the country; it’s the act of recklessly demonizing the process and further poisoning the public discourse that is.

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PHL Ambassador to South Korea calls on PHL Organizations to apply for accreditation for climate financing

Source: http://www.dfa.gov.ph

09 March 2015 – Philippine Ambassador to South Korea Raul S. Hernandez called on Philippine-based organizations on March 05 to immediately apply for accreditation with a South Korea-based United Nations fund to qualify for financing from the US$10 billion resource for adaptation and mitigation projects to cope with climate change in developing countries.

Ambassador Hernandez made the appeal following a briefing made by Ms. Hela Cheikhrouhou, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), for Seoul-based ambassadors the previous day at the GCF main office in Songdo, Incheon.

At the luncheon briefing on March 04, Ms. Cheikhrouhou said that GCF has tallied total pledges worth US$10 billion after recent commitments were received from the governments of Peru, Colombia and Austria. The GCF is meant to support those developing countries that are most vulnerable to the devastating impact of climate change.

She also cited the importance of scaling up global climate financing by encouraging contributing countries to make more pledges and to convert into actual contributions pledges already made to enable the GCF Board to allocate resources for projects in developing countries coping with climate change.

The GCF Board will start assessing project proposals in the second half of this year. Countries will have to interact with GCF through their National Designated Authority (NDA) or focal point who will work with the Fund in identifying the strategies by which it will address climate change and provide oversight to implement the GCF’s activities in recipient countries.

Secretary Mary Ann Lucille Sering of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) is the NDA or focal point for the Philippines. The CCC is tasked with coordinating, monitoring and evaluating government programs and ensuring the mainstreaming of climate change in national, local and sectoral development plans.

Access to the GCF’s resources to undertake climate change projects and programs will be given through private and public organizations that get accreditation directly from the GCF or through UN agencies and financial institutions. They will be assessed against the Fund’s fiduciary principle and standards and environmental and social safeguards. Processing of accreditation will take three to six months, depending on the capability and preparedness of the organization. Applications are to be submitted online through www.gcfund.org/accreditation.

In underscoring the need for timely decisions against climate change, Ms. Cheikhrouhou echoed the Manila Call to Action for Climate Change made by Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III and visiting French President François Hollande in Manila last February 26 for decisive action to reduce greenhouse gases in Paris later this year.

This non-binding joint statement calls upon the international community to conclude a universal, equitable and ambitious climate deal, in line with the scientific recommendations set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, at a make-or-break conference in Paris in December this year to preserve our planet as a livable place for future generations.

President Hollande will host the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris in December 2015 with the aim of concluding an agreement that reduces greenhouse gas emissions as well as helps the poorest and most vulnerable nations mitigate or adapt to climate change.

Since its inception, the GCF has sought to make a significant contribution to global efforts to combat climate change within the framework of the UNFCCC as a mechanism to redistribute money from the developed to the developing world in order to provide support to developing countries in climate adaptation.

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Filipino spirit displayed with youthful energy at Battle of the Barrios XI in New York

Source: http://www.dfa.gov.ph

09 March 2015 – Jollibee, tinikling, turon, arnis, aswangs and dinuguan all collide with Harry Potter, Chipotle, hip hop dance and Twitter hashtags in merry mash-ups as Filipino-American student organizations competed at the Battle of the Barrios held in Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey last February 28.

Twelve (12) schools participated in the Battle, each performing a 10-minute skit incorporating Filipino traditional art and music, historical tidbits, current socio-civic issues along with Western modern dance and pop culture.

St. John’s University’s PARE was the big winner that evening, bagging the Best in Cultural Performance, and Best in Overall Performance, injecting Maglalatik, Tinikling, Sayaw sa Bulaklak in their Kapwa-themed skit. Stony Brook University’s PUSO performed a hilarious Harry Potter adaptation to win Best Skit. Newcomer to Battle, the College of Mount Saint Vincent’s SAMAHAN went home with the Best in Modern Dance trophy, after their street dance-inspired routine.

Other school organizations who performed were New York University’s IFA, Bergen Community College’s PASALUBONG, Hunter College’s POH, and the host Rutgers University RAPS. Students from Montclair State University MUFASA, Kean University FUNK and Ramapo College FASA collaborated for a single skit, while members of Union County College TROPA and William Patterson University FACE worked for the second time together for their entry this year.

During the intermission, volunteers from Legacy NY and UniPro presented a Consulate General-sponsored exhibition skit featuring the programs of the Philippine Consulate General in New York available to the second-generation (Second-Gens) Filipino-Americans. Immersion programs such as the Filipino-American Youth Leadership Program (FYLPro) and Teach for the Philippines were cited during the “Alamat ng Lumpia” performance.

In her remarks, Vice Consul Khrystina Corpuz, whose portfolio in the Consulate General includes Community Relations with the Second-Gens expressed her pride in the students’ recognition of their identity and their desire to connect with the Philippines and anything Filipino. She further encouraged the almost 500 attendees to increase their involvement in the community and invited them to partner with the Consulate General to explore opportunities for collaboration on their interests and help raise the profile of Filipinos in mainstream American society. An invitation was announced for the 3rd Philippine Graduation (P-Grad) organized by the Consulate General, Legacy NY and UniPro. Vice Consul Corpuz hinted that the winning skit will get the opportunity to reprise their performance during the P-Grad, which eventually went to St. John’s PARE.

Filipino-American YouTube pop star Megan Batoon gathered cheers at the end of the night for her dance number, and entertained some questions from the audience during the Meet and Greet session. She said that she is happy to connect with her fellow Filipinos through her dance. She added that everywhere she went, from her native Los Angeles, to the East Coast, the Filipino community is always warm and welcoming and encouraged the young participants to pursue their passion in life, whether in music, dance, or other forms of art.

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Renovation of MRT-3 comfort rooms begins DOTC eyes completion of all 63 toilet facilities by September 2015

Source: http://www.dotc.gov.ph

Gov’t starts rehabilitating MRT-3 toilet facilities for passenger comfort and convenience

Manila, Philippines – Passengers of the Metro Rail Transit III (MRT-3) system will soon experience better-functioning comfort rooms at each of the railway’s thirteen stations, as the Department of Transportation and Communications’ (DOTC) toilet rehabilitation project is now underway.

“One of the basic necessities of an MRT-3 rider are functioning and decent comfort rooms. Alongside our improvement projects for train operations is this toilet rehabilitation project, which responds to the call of our commuters for better passenger comfort and convenience,” said DOTC Spokesperson Migs Sagcal.

This project began last Thursday, February 26, and is scheduled for completion in September this year. It covers all 63 comfort rooms of the MRT-3 line, and includes tile replacement, installation of new fixtures, ceiling improvements, repainting, electrical and mechanical upgrades, and plumbing and declogging works.

The rehabilitation will be done in phases, starting with comfort rooms for male passengers and persons with disability (PWDs), which will take around four (4) months to complete. This will be followed by renovations to comfort rooms for female passengers, which will be completed in another three (3) months. Civil works are now underway at the North Avenue Station, while renovations at other stations will begin in the following weeks.

Meanwhile, the replacement of 150 meters’ worth of worn-out rails was also carried out last weekend – from 9pm on Saturday to 12nn on Sunday – in order to enhance the train system’s operational safety. More early-close, late-open schedules will follow in the coming weekends to give way to more rail replacement works.

The MRT-3 management asks the public for patience and understanding while these rehabilitation works are ongoing, citing that this is part of government’s commitment to improve the train system’s facilities and services.

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Paje bats for Ph accession to Nagoya protocol

Source: http://www.denr.gov.ph

Environment Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje is pushing for the ratification of an international treaty that would allow the country to reap the benefits of its own genetic resources.

The treaty, called Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization, outlines measures on how countries can access genetic resources and share the benefits of the resources within the country of origin.

At the hearing of the Senate committee on foreign relations on Thursday, Paje told senators that the Philippine accession to the Nagoya Protocol is a must in order to protect the nation’s rich biodiversity from the threat of biopiracy.

“Acceding to the protocol would translate to directly benefitting not only the country, but local communities who use and care for our biological resources,” Paje said.

Dubbed as one of the most important multilateral environmental treaties recently adopted, the Nagoya Protocol entered into force on October 12, 2014 or four years after its adoption. However, the Philippines has yet to ratify and accede to the treaty.

Paje said the protocol could be the country’s shield against biopiracy, or the commercial exploitation or monopolization of biological or genetic material like medicinal plant extracts, usually without compensating the indigenous peoples or countries from which the material or relevant knowledge is obtained.

He said the government needs to address the issue of biopiracy, where other parties unlawfully use biological and genetic resources “that have been with us for a long time but we are either not aware of or informed about it.”

“The Nagoya Protocol would require countries using the Philippines’ biological and genetic resources to comply with our own national measures on access and benefit-sharing,” Paje explained.

He added: “Without our accession, we cannot avail of its international tracking and monitoring mechanisms by which we can track the use of our resources.”

Paje cited a number of resources found in the country but were “taken” by researchers, such as medicinal plants from Coron in Palawan, soil samples from Panay Island, and mollusk species from Balicasag Island in Bohol.

Biopiracy, he added, also covers the documentation without due compensation of associated traditional knowledge owned or practiced by indigenous peoples with resources in their environment.

Accession to the Nagoya Protocol would strengthen compliance by other countries that use such genetic resources (GRs) and their associated traditional knowledge (ATK) to existing Philippine laws such as Executive Order No. 247 issued in 1995, and Republic Act No. 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.

It would enable the Philippines to claim its rightful share in benefits from a wider range of activities related to GRs and ATK, such as tracking and monitoring research being done on them before and during their commercialization. These indigenous resources would also get the recognition and respect they deserve when utilized abroad and while products using them are being developed.

The protocol also puts local and foreign researchers on equal footing while collaborating on studies using the country’s resources; and clarifies the rights of the country, researchers, and the IP and local communities, as well as secure benefits especially on new uses of traded commodities.

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Zamboanga Sibugay mayor, 4 others face graft raps

Source: http://www.ombudsman.gov.ph

The Office of the Ombudsman ordered the filing of a criminal Information for violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) against Naga, Zamboanga Sibugay Mayor Gemma Adana, Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) members Roland Grijalvo, Felix Timsan, Emmanuel Enteria and Jonathan Cartagena, in connection with the irregular procurement of heavy equipment from CVCK Trading in 2007.

The Resolution found that Adana and the BAC members committed procurement violations in the acquisition of a road roller and road grader by changing the technical specifications of the equipment without complying with the requirements of Republic Act No. 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act). There was also no showing that the price of CVCK Trading was the most beneficial for the local government.

The charges for Malversation and Falsification of Public Documents were dismissed for lack of probable cause while the charges against Community Affairs Assistant II Samuel Gealon were dismissed in view of his death. Similarly, the criminal charges against Municipal Accountant Manuel Cuevas, Municipal Treasurer Rodulfo Nercua, Revenue Collection Clerk IV Helen Trono, Revenue Collection Clerk II Ernesto Yu, casual employee Elvira Carumba, and Jose Ely Solivar of CVCK Trading were dismissed for lack of probable cause.

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HCI Portal: Benefit availment made easier

Source: http://www.philhealth.gov.ph

Yes or No?
This simple question can mean a lot of things, but for PhilHealth accredited health care providers with Health Care Institution Portal, a YES signifies only one thing – easier, faster, hassle-free availment of benefits for PhilHealth members and their dependents confined in their facilities.
Last year, PhilHealth required its accredited health care institutions to install the HCI Portal. Serving as the electronic gateway, the HCI portal simplifies filing of PhilHealth claims and availment procedures by reducing documentary requirements. The PhilHealth Benefit Eligibility Form (PBEF) which the portal generates, effectively replaces the Member Data Record, and ascertains the eligibility of the member or his dependent to avail of the benefits at point-of-service.
How does the HCI portal work?
With a reliable internet connection, the HCIs can access a member’s records through the PhilHealth Benefit Verification Module. Immediately, they can check if a dependent is qualified to avail of the benefits, if a member has sufficient premium contributions, or even verify the membership category to which the member belongs.
Once a patient is admitted for confinement, a hospital staff member will ask the patient for vital information related to PhilHealth membership. If the PhilHealth Identification Number is not available, the patient may give his full name and birth date, the hospital staff member will key in the given information in the portal and verify the following: PhilHealth membership or dependency, premium contribution and compliance to the 45 days benefit limit. Once the portal yields a YES for an answer, the patient is eligible to avail of PhilHealth benefits for the said confinement.
If the portal says NO, that doesn’t mean that the patient is denied of his privilege to enjoy his PhilHealth benefits. He will be asked to provide the PhilHealth Claim Form 1, MDR and proof of dependency for qualified dependents. These documents shall be attached to the PBEF and will be submitted to PhilHealth once the hospital files for claim reimbursements.
The implementation of the HCI portal and PBEF also impacts greatly on PhilHealth’s operations. Non-requirement of MDR means less requests for printing, which translates to lesser member queues and savings in logistics and manpower in the Local Health Insurance Offices.
“PhilHealth is committed to improving its business processes. I always reiterate that PhilHealth members are our primary and priority concern. With the implementation of the PBEF from the HCI portal we are making benefit availment more convenient for our members,” said Alexander A. Padilla, PhilHealth President and CEO.
With eligibility checking already transferred to the hospital, the procedure somehow gives HCIs some form of assurance that the claimant is indeed eligible to be entitled to the health care benefits, since the transaction was already approved by PhilHealth through the PBEF.
It also means faster claims processing, and since updates on new policies such as circulars and advisories are being disseminated through the HCI portal, it also serves as the hospital’s information source.
“PhilHealth values its partnership with the healthcare providers. Now that the HCI portal is in place, we are looking forward to an even more transparent and harmonious relationship with them,” added Padilla.

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Kenyans Place 1-2 in male division of 20K leg in NCR PhilHealth run

Source: http://www.philhealth.gov.ph

Quezon City ---- KENYAN Jackson Chir-Chir won the male category of the 20 kilometer leg of the recently-concluded Simultaneous Nationwide Run of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
He won over his fellow Kenyan contender Elphil Kipgerich with a time of 1:03:01 while the latter recorded 1:04:51. Eduardo Buenavista, a 36-year-old long-distance runner and two-time Olympian from General Santos City, came out third with a time of 1:05:31.

In the women’s division of the 20K category, 19-year-old Criselyn Jaro, the unstoppable native of Davao bagged the top spot. Currently residing in Sampaloc, Manila, Jaro is a consistent top runner in various categories in running events in the country. Jaro finished with a time of 1:20:30 beating Susan Jemutai and Janette Lumida with a time of 1:22:31 and 1:26:48, respectively.

Completing the line-up of the female top three finishers in various distances were Cellie Rose Jaro (42:18), Janice Marquez (46:15) and Merlyn Lumagbas (47:28) for the 10K; Jenismyll Mabunga (21:78), Alysa Alison (23:28) and Marian Mera (28:47) for the 5K; and Mary Ann Sta. Cruz (10:08:18), Vilma Sta. Ana (10:18:72) and Ma. Angelica Gahulin (12:16:00) for the 3K.
On the other hand, another Kenyan runner, Alex Molly made it to the top in the 10K male division with a time of 30:31 followed by Joackim Kembon (31:55) and Melvin Guarte (38:22). Likewise, Reggie Lumawag registered the fastest in the 5K category with 20:37 clocking while Jun Bacus (21:09) and Ronelio Solis (21:22) came out second and third, respectively.

For the 3K distance, the top finishers were Elbren Neri (8:07:19), Wenlie Maulas (8:08:52) and Jojie Daga-as (8:16:73).
A total of 9,987 runners joined the running event in the National Capital Region. Proceeds of the run will go to its chosen beneficiary, the Golden Reception and Action Center for the Elderly and other Special Cases in Quezon City.
The simultaneous nationwide PhilHealth run was made possible by People’s Television Network, Inc., Pfizer Philippines, Nine Media Corporation, Tupperware Brands Philippines, Oishi and Smart Communications, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Air Juan, Maxima Machineries Incorporated and Land Bank of the Philippines.

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BSP hosts meeting of the Financial Stability Board Regional Consultative Group for Asia

Source: http://www.bsp.gov.ph

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) hosted the eighth meeting of the Financial Stability Board (FSB) Regional Consultative Group for Asia in Bohol last week (2-4 March 2015). A press briefing at the close of the meeting was conducted by FSB Regional Consultative Group for Asia (RCGA) co-chairs Masamichi Kono, Vice Commissioner for International Affairs at the Financial Services Agency of Japan (right) and BSP Governor Amando Tetangco, Jr., (center) with FSB’s Deputy to the Secretary General Rupert Thorne (left). Issues discussed during the meeting include the FSB’s policy priorities, work plan, and financial stability issues affecting Asia. They also discussed the implementation of international reforms and ways to strengthen cooperation among Asian financial authorities.

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07 MARCH 2015

Gov’t-CSO tie-up project helps restore civil docs of ‘Yolanda’ survivors

Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries express support for campaign vs climate change

TESDA goes all out with scholarships, tool kits for Negros Oriental youth

Pagbuo ng Fire Inspection Plan krusyal sa pagiwas sa sunog – Roxas

PNP, NAPOLCOM given 30 days to study SAF complaints

226 PNPA graduates to join PNP

Congress can strengthen Bangsamoro Law -- Deles

International HR expert to speak in CSC Leadership seminar

VP Binay, Makati mayor, 22 others to undergo preliminary investigation

More employers are joining, says Baldoz: 52 companies now JobStart partners for more employment for the youth and shorter job search

Bohol is first province to roll out JobStart—Baldoz

Why the ‘unreachable’ matters to the Modified CCT

Pantawid Pamilya boosts self-esteem of partner-beneficiaries

End-February 2015 GIR level rises to US$81.3 billion

February inflation rises slightly to 2.5 percent

DTI crafts high quality construction projects to deliver better roads to Filipinos

PHL Consulate General in Sydney hosts DFA Finance Officers' Training Workshop

PHL Ambassador explores shared PHL-Mexico history at National Museum of Vice Royalty of the New Spain

MB places Rural Bank of Magsingal (Ilocos Sur), Inc. under PDIC receivership, all valid insured deposit claims will be paid

PDIC urges banks to avail of its bank strengthening programs

Gov’t-CSO tie-up project helps restore civil docs of ‘Yolanda’ survivors

Source: http://www.dswd.gov.ph/

Tacloban City, Leyte – Some 2,110 partner-beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program from the provinces of Samar, Leyte, and Eastern Samar received a free copy of their live birth registration certificate last February 23, 2015.

In a Civil Society Organization (CSO)-led conference on Civil Registration held recently at the Ritz Tower de Leyte, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman commended the group behind the Mobile Civil Registration Project for helping Typhoon Yolanda survivors recover and reconstruct their civil records which were lost or damaged by the typhoon.

The project, which was launched in April 2014 and is still ongoing, is spearheaded by the Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Legal Services (IDEALS) in partnership with the DSWD; Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA); United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); 20 local Civil Registrar’s Office of Leyte, Samar, and Eastern Samar; and various CSOs such as Plan International and Save the Children International.

“This project is essential because you are providing the beneficiaries with vital documents that would establish their identity and entitlement to their rights and privileges. Without the birth certificate, you can’t have the death certificate and your right to anything from the government or from anyone,” Sec. Soliman explained.

The project has two phases. Phase I, which is undertaken by the UNDP as lead CSO partner, has targeted to restore 83,790 civil registry documents of ‘Yolanda’ survivors in Eastern Visayas. To date, a total of 126,078 documents have been reconstructed.

Of this, around 8,000 documents belong to beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

On the other hand, a total of 10,061 legal documents were produced for some 3,723 households. This resulted in an estimated aggregate sum of P30.71 million worth of benefits accessed by the beneficiaries.

For Phase II, which is implemented by UNICEF as CSO partner, a total of 43,266 civil registry documents were submitted to the local civil registrar’s offices, while 6,000 legal documents of Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries were facilitated.

Sec. Soliman added that civil registration does not just go beyond identifying people, but it also facilitates access to social and child protection programs and services.

She also cited the importance of civil documents especially for the beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya.

“To help identify our Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries, among the documents that we need are birth and marriage certificates,” the Secretary continued.

The Secretary expressed optimism that this initiative will continue until all Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries, whose documents were destroyed during the typhoon, will be provided with a copy of their civil registry documents.

For his part, IDEALS Executive Director Egad Ligon said, “Since 2013 we have been trying to help disaster survivors to reconstruct or register their civil records and obtain copies of their birth or marriage certificates or the death certificates of their relatives.”

He added that they have already assisted around 120,000 ‘Yolanda’ survivors since 2013 and that they are targeting to assist another 120,000 survivors for this phase.

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Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries express support for campaign vs climate change

Source: http://www.dswd.gov.ph/

Guiuan, Eastern Samar ─ Beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program vowed to support the call to action on climate change – launched by President Benigno S. Aquino and French President François Hollande – by taking a more active role in the cleanliness and development of their own communities.

They expressed their commitment during the visit of President Hollande, who is a staunch advocate of environmental protection.

“Pinaagi han amon tinalagudti na buhat, mabulig kami paghatag hin aksyon ha mga isyu parti han climate change, para han kinabubuwason han amun pamilya ngan bug- os na komunidad (In our own little way, we will help take action on the issues on climate change, for the future of our family and the entire community),” said Grace Rapada, 40, one of the parent-leaders of Pantawid Pamilya who attended the welcome activity for President Hollande.

Rapada, a Typhoon Yolanda survivor, shared that Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries are informed about climate change issues and taught about environmental protection and disaster preparedness during the conduct of Family Development Sessions (FDS). FDS is a venue where parents gather to discuss topics on home management and community participation.

Rapada encouraged her fellow beneficiaries to take care of the environment through proper garbage disposal. She also urged them not to engage in illegal logging, fishing, and mining.

“Magburubligay kita paglimpyo ngan pananum, ngan biskan hino ka man o hain ka man naukoy, kinahanglanon masunod kita han mando han gobyerno kay para man iton hit aton ikauupay (Let us help each other in cleaning and planting. Whoever you are, wherever you are, we should follow the government for our own safety and well-being),” she added.

On the other hand, another Pantawid Pamilya beneficiary, Letecia Salameda, 45, also pledged her support to the call to action saying, “Masosolusyunan an problema ha climate change pinaagi han pagbabag-o han aton mga gawi (We can help solve the problem of climate change if we reform our ways and attitude).”

DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman joined the state visit of President Hollande to Guiuan. They went to the municipal hall and to the Guiuan East Central School, where they expressed their solidarity with the townsfolk who welcomed them.
President Hollande admired the bravery, strength, and resiliency of the people.

The French President also stressed the need for stronger, more responsible, and more sustainable environmental programs.

He added that what he has seen in the ‘Yolanda’-affected areas would be an important input to the Climate Conference in Paris this December.

On the other hand, Mayor Christopher Gonzales expressed his gratitude for the momentous day and also conveyed his support to the Manila Call for Action on Climate Change.

“All stakeholders, local government units, business or private sector, civil society organizations, non-government organizations, academe, and all citizens should play their roles in reducing the impact of climate-related disasters,” Mayor Gonzales stated.

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TESDA goes all out with scholarships, tool kits for Negros Oriental youth

Source: http://www.tesda.gov.ph/

From their native land in Negros Oriental, Reynaldo Caseres and Dolrich Alpeche have traveled far and are now making a relatively lucrative living because of hard work and technical vocational education or tech-voc.

Caseres finished an auto servicing course and was hired by the Automotive Holding Group in Perth, Australia. He now earns around P228,000 a month.

Alpeche, a graduate of slaughtering operation course, currently works in Alberta, Canada, and is earning around P122,000 a month.

Last March 3, Director General Joel Villanueva of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), welcomed a fresh batch of 1,000 tech-voc scholars in Dumaguete City who have graduated from their respective courses.

"The success stories of the graduates show us that the tech-voc path can make us go a long way," Villanueva said.

"The opportunities for a National Certificate are vast," he added.

The Dumaguete scholars were part of the audience of 4,000 who graced the mass graduation and distribution of tool kits at the Lamberto Macias Sports and Cultural Center.

For 2015, the province of Negros Oriental has been allocated an initial amount of P10.97 million worth of scholarship for its three programs— Training for Work Scholarship Program, Private Education Student Financial Assistance and the Bottom-up Budgeting.

The programs aim to help ease poverty in communities by making education, through technical vocational training, accessible to the people, especially the poor.

Overall, Region VII or Central Visayas, which includes Negros Oriental, has a total scholarship allocation of P129.72 million that would benefit at least 13,120 students.

Among the popular courses in the province are computer hardware servicing, finishing course for call center agents, housekeeping, shielded metal arc welding, bread and pastry production, automotive servicing and slaughtering operation.

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Pagbuo ng Fire Inspection Plan krusyal sa pagiwas sa sunog – Roxas

Source: http://www.dilg.gov.ph/

Inatasan ni Interior at Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas si Fire Chief Senior Supt. Ariel Barayuga na magsumite ng komprehensibong plano para sa Bureau of Fire Protection na magiging gabay sa pagpapatupad ng fire inspection.

Ibinigay ni Roxas ang kautusan sa katatapos na kick-off ceremony ng Fire Prevention Month noong Martes, kung saan sinabi ng kalihim na inaasahan nito na isusumite ni Barayuga bago matapos ang buwan ang komprehensibong ulat.

“Magandang pagkakataon ito na atasan si Chief Senior Supt. Barayuga at ang kanyang leadership team na gumawa before the end of this month ng isang malawakang programa,” pahayag ni Roxas.

Ayon sa kalihim umaasa ito na ang ulat ay masusing pinag-aralan at hindi bara-bara, applicable sa lahat ng sangay ng BFP at magiging pang matagalan.

Ito ayon kay Roxas dahil tuwing papasok ang Fire Prevention Month ay serye ng sakuna dulot ng sunog ang nagaganap hindi lang sa Metro Manila kung hindi maging sa mga lalawigan.

Umaasa ang kalihim na kung magkakaroon ng komprehensibong gabay ang BFP sa pagpapatupad ng fire inspection maaring makabawas ito sa paglaganap ng sunog tuwing pumapasok ang buwan ng Marso.

“Meron na tayong programa dito sa equipment, meron tayong programa sa training, magkakaroon tayo ng fire olympics at ngayon magkakaroon tayo ng programa sa fire inspection,” paliwanag ng kalihim.

Tiwala din si Roxas na makakatulong ang fire inspection plan para maiwasan na malagay sa alanganin ang buhay ng mga kawani ng BFP at mga fire volunteers na buong tapang na sinunusuong ang apoy tuwing may insidente ng sunog.

“Sinasaluduhan ko po kayo dahil bagaman may training at capacity, pero sa dulo nitong lahat ang bumbero, tinitignan niya at pinahahalagahan niya ang kayang obligasyon, ang serbisyo sa komunidad kesa sa kung ano pang konsiderasyon,” pagtatapos nito.

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PNP, NAPOLCOM given 30 days to study SAF complaints

Source: http://www.dilg.gov.ph/

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas said the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Police Commission (Napolcom) will immediately study the complaints aired by PNP-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) troopers during their meeting with President Aquino yesterday (March 4).

Roxas said the President ordered the PNP to submit the results of their study within 30 days, “ibig sabihin, nakadaan na ito sa PNP, nakadaan na sa Napolcom bago dumating sa tanggapan ng Pangulo within 30 days itong mga bagay na ito.”

President Aquino met with SAF officers at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City before the turn-over ceremony for the installation of the new PNP-SAF Chief, PCSupt Moro Virgilio Lazo, who replaced sacked PNP-SAF Dir. Getulio Napenas.

Roxas said during the meeting, PNP-SAF officials expressed to the President what their needs are, including training, equipment, hazard pay and vacation leaves, “kasi tumatagal ang mga SAF sa lugar na kinalalagyan nila. Nawawalan nang rotation. Ang SAF is 100% alert all the time. Ibig sabihin, walang leave, walang vacation, talagang walang stand down.”

Roxas further assured that the President is committed to improve the plight of the SAF, being the PNP’s premiere task force.

The DILG Chief also justified the appointment of Lazo as PNP-SAF Chief.

He said, “ang Special Action Force ay isang unique and specialized unit—yung talagang pinakamaseselan, pinakamapanganib na mga misyon ang siyang ibinibigay sa kanila. So, hindi puwedeng basta-bastang opisyal ang ilagay dyan.”

Roxas said Lazo was a former SAF trooper, who went up the ladder and was designated SAF Chief of the Directorate Staff until he became Chief of the PNP-Firearms and Explosives Division before being appointed to his new post.

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226 PNPA graduates to join PNP

Source: http://www.pnp.gov.ph/

A total of 247 men and women will be graduating from Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Lakandula Class of 2015 this March 26 at the grounds of Camp Mariano Castaneda in Silang, Cavite.

Majority of the graduates or 226 cadets will join the Philippine National Police (PNP), while 10 have decided to go to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and 11 will join the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
Lakandula Class of 2015 is composed of 227 male and 20 female graduates.

This year’s batch will be headed by 24-year old Police Cadet Dennis M. Yuson Jr., who will be the recipient of the prestigious Presidential Kampilan Award for topping the Lakandula class and a plaque of merit (1st Place). P/Cdt Yuson Jr. is a son of PInsp Dennis Yuson, Deputy of Criminal Investigation and Detection Team in Sultan Kudarat.

Graduating second in his class is Police Cadet Rod Kevin T. Talplacido from Nueva Ecija who will receive the Vice President Kampital Award and a plaque of merit.

Placing third and to get the SILG Kamilan Award and plaque of merit (3rdPlace) is Police Cadet Marlon H. Landong of Negros Occidental.

Other students who included to the top 10 slots are Police Cadet Raymund B. Caguioa (4th); Police Cadet Michael Sula Sula Giner (5th); Police Cadet Nathaniel D. Faulve (6th); Police Cadet Kenneth F. Lumbre (7th); Police Cadet Roel R. Bata (8th); Police Cadet Mark Jonathan Z. Avillano (9th); and Police Cadet Julie Anne L. Aguilar (10th).

The graduates will receive a degree of Bachelor of Science in Public Safety (BSPS) upon graduating, and will enter as Inspectors in their respective public safety bureaus. (PNP-PIO)

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Congress can strengthen Bangsamoro Law -- Deles

Source: http://www.opapp.gov.ph/

MANILA – The Executive Branch fully respects Congress’ powers on deciding the final version of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles said today.

“As I have always been saying, the fate of the passage of the proposed BBL is in the hands of our lawmakers. The proposed Bangsamoro law was submitted to them in recognition of their legislative power. They have the power to improve and strengthen the BBL in accordance with the Constitution that provides for the grant of meaningful autonomy to Muslim Mindanao,” Deles said.

During the first public hearing on the draft law last September 24, 2014 by the Ad Hoc Committee on the BBL headed by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Deles has already emphasized that “certainly, we are open to the fact that the law can be improved." This has been reiterated by the peace adviser and members of the government peace panel in various forums and media engagements.

No railroading

On the timeframe of passing the BBL, Deles said that the Executive Branch trusts Congress to pass it on the proper time. She rejected insinuations that the Executive is railroading Congress into passing the law.

The BBL is the enabling law of the signed Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro or CAB between the Government of the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

According to Deles, “There is seventeen years worth of diligent negotiations, from the time of President Ramos to the present, that birthed the BBL."

"The draft law was founded on the work of previous negotiating teams that came before us over the years," government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said. "Their experiences, learnings and insights on their own negotiations during their time, enabled the current negotiating team to reach this far in the process."

She also related that the draft BBL was also the product of rigorous consultations with various stakeholders, legal luminaries and solons.

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International HR expert to speak in CSC Leadership seminar

Source: http://www.csc.gov.ph/

International leadership trainer, Dr. Peter Chee, will speak at the Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) one-day seminar on “Mentoring and Coaching for Organizational Excellence” on March 18, 2015. Dr. Chee, President and CEO of the Institute of Training and Development World, is a leading certified trainer for Dr. John C. Maxwell programs and Zig Ziglar programs.

The seminar is part of the 2015 Leadership Series offered by the CSC through its Civil Service Institute (CSI). It aims to address the rising need for mentoring and coaching skills among organizational leaders.

The seminar is open to all government managers holding division chief positions and above. It will be held at the SEAMEO INNOTECH along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. Seminar fee is P5,000.

Local experts also join the roster of speakers including Mr. Manuel Tan of Human Capital Development Asia/Pacific, Ms. Elvira E. Ditching-Lorico of Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Mr. Conrado B. Roxas of Landbank of the Philippines, and Ms. Marilou Mateo of Bostik Philippines Inc.

Registration is via online through csc.gov.ph (events calendar). For more details, contact the CSI through training@webmail.gov.ph or call 931-4182 and 931-8019.

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VP Binay, Makati mayor, 22 others to undergo preliminary investigation

Source: http://www.ombudsman.gov.ph/

The Office of the Ombudsman - Special Panel of Investigators filed yesterday a Complaint charging former Makati City Mayor (now Vice President) Jejomar Binay, Sr., Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr., and twenty-two others with Malversation, Falsification, violations of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and violation of the Government Procurement Reform Act, in connection with several alleged irregularities in the procurement and award of the contracts for the design/architectural services and the construction of the Makati City Hall Parking Building.

Also impleaded in the complaint are former City Administrator Marjorie De Veyra, City Legal Officer Pio Kenneth Dasal, City Budget Officer Lorenza Amores, former Central Planning Management Office (CPMO) Chief Virginia Hernandez, former City Engineer Mario Badillo, former City Accountant Leonila Querijero, former Acting City Accountant Raydes Pestaño, City Accountant Cecilio Lim III, Acting City Accountant Eleno Mendoza, City Treasurer Nelia Barlis, CPMO Engineers Arnel Cadangan, Emerito Magat and Connie Consulta, CPMO Chief Line Dela Peña, Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Secretariat Heads Giovanni Condes and Manolito Uyaco, Technical Working Group (TWG) Chairman Rodel Nayve, BAC member Ulysses Orienza, General Services Department (GSD) OIC Gerardo San Gabriel, GSD staff member Norman Flores, as well as private respondents Orlando Mateo of MANA Architecture & Interior Design Company (MANA) and Efren Canlas of Hilmarc’s Construction Corporation (Hilmarc).

In addition to the criminal charges, public respondents, except Vice President Binay, face administrative charges for Grave Misconduct, Serious Dishonesty and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service. The Special Panel of Investigators also prays for the issuance of an order of preventive suspension pending administrative adjudication.

The Complaint was filed following months of case build-up and evidence gathering by the Special Panel composed of field investigators.

The Complaint alleges, among other things, that public respondents awarded the P11,974,900.00 contract for the design/architectural services to MANA without public bidding, and that periodic payments were released to MANA without its corresponding deliverables under the contract. It adds that the bidding and the construction for Phases I and II (out of five phases) of the carpark building proceeded without a detailed engineering plan from MANA, contrary to procurement laws and regulations.

The Complaint further alleges that the procurement and award of the construction contract to Hilmarc were marred by irregularities including the use of falsified documents showing the purported publications of Notices to Bid and the supposed participation of two losing bidders/companies, one of which categorically denied participation while the existence of the other cannot be established.

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More employers are joining, says Baldoz: 52 companies now JobStart partners for more employment for the youth and shorter job search

Source: http://www.dole.gov.ph

After pilot-testing it in 2014 in San Fernando, Pampanga; Gen. Trias, Cavite; Taguig City; and Quezon City, where 430 participants have been placed in technical and on-the-job training and with additional 926 vacancies still to be filled up, the DOLE-ADB-Canada collaborative project to address youth unemployment, JobStart Philippines Program, is now being rolled out in several provinces and cities, with 52 employers as partners.

“More employers are joining JobStart Philippines and we are very happy for it. That means they believe the program is really beneficial even to them and not only to the job seekers,” Baldoz said yesterday after the successful launching of JobStart in Bilar, Bohol, the first province where JobStart will be fully implemented.

Apart from Bohol, JobStart Program will be implemented this year in Cebu, Davao, Tagum, and Palawan, plus in five Public Employment Services Office in the National Capital Region, with a target of 3,200 beneficiaries. The DOLE will continue to implement it in the four pilot areas.

“JobStart partners with employers in providing a comprehensive and systematic approach in assisting young jobseekers, from planning their career paths all the way through acquiring the best-fit jobs,” said Baldoz.

JobStart calls for employers to be selected through the signing of a memorandum of agreement. They, in turn, prepare a training plan and select from the JobStart youth participants and provide them with technical training and work experience. They receive the full cost of the technical training from the Bureau of Local Employment, the project management office. Youth participants are also paid an allowance to cover the employers’ administrative cost. In turn, employers pay the trainees an amount of at least 75 percent of the prevailing minimum wage in their region.

Baldoz lauded the following companies for signing MOAs with JobStart: MKP Inc.; Carats Manufacturing; iGo2 Group Inc.; Tele Sight; Site Skills; Telford Svc. Phils, Inc.; CS Garments, Inc.; LA Bakeshop; LA Bakeshop and Grocery; Romac Group of Companies; Sankou Seiki Co. Ltd., Inc.; CGS Solid Aircon & Refrigeration, Inc.; IMES Global Inc.; P.IMES Corp.; Proserve Manpower, Inc.; GB Exprez; Aquino Basket; JobCrest Management, Inc.; Image Doctor's Clinic; Happy Haus Food Corp.;

Interlink Manpower Development & General Services, Inc.; Purple Avatar Inc.; MB Garbez; PC Storage; Premium Burger and Foods; Savemore; Shimadzu Philippines Corporation; Fresh and Famous; Virtus Manpower Services; Serbiz Multipurpose Cooperative; Comark International Corporation; Lyric Piano and Organ Corp.; Innovatia Systems; SSECC; Datacom; Pampanga's Best; MLJL 368 Trading Inc.; TC-TESDA Women's Center;

TKC Steel Corporation; Elixir Industrial Equipment, Inc.; Singangag Express; Enriquez Security Services, Inc.; Toyota Commonwealth; Interlink Manpower Development & General Services, Inc.; Grandis Jubilance Ventures, Inc.; Quali-Serve Manpower And General Services; Pacific Global Hospitality Institute; Jenra Incorporated; Sky Cable; Interlink Manpower Development & General Services, Inc.; and SFI Group of Companies.

JobStart is a career coaching and training program intended to help young people jumpstart their careers by creating opportunities to improve their technical skills and develop the life skills necessary for success in today’s competitive workplace.
JobStart starts with the provision of career guidance through skills assessment, career and self-awareness, and career coaching. Following the assessment of a participant’s job readiness, he or she is provided with an eight-day life skills training designed to holistically hone the attitude and behavioural skills of the youth into a person well-prepared to face the challenges of the world of work.

“The completion of career guidance and life skills training enables the youth to be matched in jobs available in partner-employers for the technical training of up to three months, and an application of what has been acquired and learned through internship program for also up to three months,” Baldoz said.

For more details about JobStart, contact the Project Management Office at the Bureau of Local Employment, 6th Floor, BF Condominium, Solana for. Andres Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila; tel. 527-2543 or 527-2539; email at jobstartph@yahoo.com.

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Bohol is first province to roll out JobStart—Baldoz

Source: http://www.dole.gov.ph

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday announced the successful roll out of the JobStart Philippines Program in Bohol, and said this is a good preview of the pioneering program’s first, full-year of implementation. She cited the report of Undersecretary for Employment Reydeluz Conferido who attended the launching on her behalf. Conferido, in his report to the Secretary, said Bohol Governor Edgar M. Chatto had expressed his deep appreciation to the DOLE for having allowed his province to become the first to become a partner of JobStart. “Gov. Chato fully understands the value of our project in addressing the gaps in skills and attitude of the youth towards employability and the concerns of employers. We may recall that he was instrumental in getting the Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) Law enhanced when he was a congressman and he has always been supportive of our youth-oriented employment programs,” Conferido said in his report. “He also promised to prominently feature JobStart in his own HEAT IT Caravan,” he added. Conferido was in Bilar, Bohol the other day together with Ruth Rodriguez, chief, Labor Market Information of the Bureau of Local Employment to attend the launching of the first full-cycle employment facilitation service in the Southeast Asian region that seeks to address youth unemployment. With them was Kelly Hattel, Financial Sector Specialist of the Asian Development Bank which is supporting the project, together with the Government of Canada. JobStart is a career coaching and training program intended to help young people jumpstart their careers by creating opportunities to improve their technical skills and develop the life skills necessary for success in today’s competitive workplace. “JobStart partners with employers in providing a comprehensive and systematic approach in assisting young jobseekers, from planning their career paths all the way through acquiring the best-fit jobs,” said Baldoz. JobStart starts with the provision of career guidance through skills assessment, career and self-awareness, and career coaching. Following the assessment of a participant’s job readiness, he or she is provided with an eight-day life skills training designed to holistically hone the attitude and behavioural skills of the youth into a person well-prepared to face the challenges of the world of work. “The completion of career guidance and life skills training enables the youth to be matched in jobs available in partner-employers for the technical training of up to three months, and an application of what has been acquired and learned through internship program for also up to three months,” Baldoz said. Piloted in San Fernando, Pampanga; Gen. Trias, Cavite; Taguig City; and Quezon City, the JobStart Program will be rolled out this year in Bohol, Cebu, Davao, Tagum, and Palawan, with a 3,200 target number of beneficiaries. During the pilot stage, 430 participants have been placed in technical and on-the-job training, with additional 926 vacancies still to be filled up. The JobStart launching in Bilar, Bohol, was highlighted by the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between JobStart Philippines and the Bohol Provincial Government and the awarding of seed capital to beneficiaries of DOLE livelihood programs. “Especially grateful was Mrs. Prosperina who received P72,000 worth of livelihood assistance. She is the mother of one of the slain SAF 44 officers, PO2 Romeo Prosperina,” Conferido said. Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Director-General Joel Villanueva also graced the occasion and promoted TESDA’s Abot-Alam campaign. He distributed livelihood starter kits to some of the 1,500 TESDA graduates of technical course who took part in the HEAT IT Bohol Caravan yesterday. Also in attendance in the JobStart launching were Vice-Governor Concepcion "Inday Conching" Lim; Rep. Arthur Yap (3rd District); Members of the Sangguniang Panlalalawigan and Pambayan of Bilar; Mayor Norman Palacio and Vice Mayor Calamba; and members of the Provincial League of Barangays. DOLE officials led by Regional Director Exequiel Sarcauga, Assistant Regional Director Jong Gonzales, and DOLE Bohol provincial head Gerry Guidaben also were at the launching. For more details about JobStart, contact the Project Management Office at the Bureau of Local Employment, 6th Floor, BF Condominium, Solana for. Andres Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila; tel. 527-2543 or 527-2539; email at jobstartph@yahoo.com.

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Why the ‘unreachable’ matters to the Modified CCT

Source: http://www.dswd.gov.ph

In the remote Singnapan Valley where caves become abodes during the rain, one can find the indigenous community of Tau’t Bato. A sub-group of the Pala’wan ethnic group, the Tau’t Bato is among the communities in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) where even the delivery of basic services is a big challenge. However, the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) accepts this challenge.
Reaching Sitio Singnapan – the gateway to the Tau’t Bato community – requires a day of hike up and down the rough and steep landscape of Mount Mantalingahan. Because of the isolation of the valley, the Tau’t Bato community runs on simple, if not scanty, living conditions. Their houses are made of bamboo and rattan straw only while the caves up the basin serve as their houses during rains. Their diet consists mostly of root crops, wild leaves, and bats. Diarrhea and measles are among the most common diseases that plague the community. In addition, malaria risk is very high year-round.
Under the governance of the municipality of Rizal in Palawan, the community receives occasional services from the local government such as medical missions and civil registration. However, because of the challenge of reaching the community, even the local government agrees that the Tau’t Bato deserves more.
Paving the way
The Tau’t Bato is one of the indigenous cultural communities being catered to by the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer for Indigenous Peoples in GIDA (MCCT-IPs in GIDA) implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). It is part of the efforts of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program to include the most vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors such as homeless street families, families in need of special protection, and IPs in GIDA.
Dormin Tamu, a Panglima or a member of their tribal council, shared how the inclusion of their community in the program allowed them better access to local government services. “Noon, wala pang serbisyo ng gobyerno ang nakarating dito sa amin. Simula nang dumating ang programa, dumating na rin ang iba’t-ibang tulong (Before, government services did not reach us. When the program came, other types of assistance started to arrive as well),” Panglima Dormin narrated.
MCCT for IPs in GIDA aims to facilitate the establishment of accessible and suitable delivery of healthcare and alternative educational services to extremely remote communities. Using the conditional cash transfer scheme, the program encourages indigenous cultural communities to avail of health services and alternative modes of learning.
This, in return, urges the local government to provide such services.
Embracing the changes
Literacy is low among the Tau’t Bato. Jonathan Daklay, one of the two persons from the community who finished high school with the help of missionaries, serves as the teacher to the community. He teaches literacy and non-formal education not only to children but to willing adults as well.
“Dati, akala ng mga kapwa ko katutubo ay nakakasira ng kultura ang pag-aaral. Pero simula nang pumasok ang Pantawid, hindi na ako nahihirapang ipaintindi sa kanila na mahalaga ang pag-aaral dahil nirerespeto ng programa ang mga kaugalian namin (Before, my fellow IPs believed that education destroys our culture. But when Pantawid came, it’s no longer hard for me to make them understand that education is important because the program respects our heritage),” Jonathan shared.
Jonathan also shared that since the community does not have a school, he conducts his classes inside their house. This changed one day when the parents in the community helped hand-in-hand to build a classroom with bamboo roofing and nipa walls, tied only with rattan straw, for the community to have their own school. This, for him, is the turning point in the community’s acceptance of education.
Now Jonathan knows that he is not alone.
Manglino Laan, one of the beneficiaries of MCCT in the community, also shares how happy they are that the program reached the Tau’t Bato. He shared that being one of the few who know how to read and write, he teaches abakada to the children. With MCCT around, encouraging them to study became easier. “Nakikita na namin na importante sa aming mga katutubo ang makapag-aral ang aming mga anak para matuto silang makabasa at makasulat (We now see the importance for us IPs that our children become educated so that they would know how to read and write),” Manglino shared.
The community’s perception of healthcare has also changed through time. Pregnant mothers are now willing to be checked-up by the municipal midwife who frequents the community. More children also undergo regular health monitoring and avail of immunization. This, according to the barangay health workers and their Panglima, could be attributed to the joint efforts of MCCT and the local government to encourage the Tau’t Bato.
‘No one left behind’
According to DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, it is important that the indigenous cultural communities in GIDA are included in the program because it enables the beneficiaries to have access to health and educational services despite geographical challenges.
“Conditional cash transfer is proven to be among the most effective poverty alleviation strategies in the world, and including the most vulnerable sectors such as IPs in far-flung communities would mean that the program will leave no one behind no matter how challenging [the situation]. It makes the CCT work for them,” she added.
MCCT now has 218,377 household beneficiaries nationwide, 163,950 of which are indigenous peoples in GIDA.
The Tau’t Bato community, once regarded as unreachable, now believes that the day will come when every child and every Tau’t Bato would no longer need to walk for hours to get the services they deserve. As MCCT for IPs in GIDA extends a hand of service to them, the community extends theirs wide open – with their culture and heritage still intact.
- See more at: http://www.dswd.gov.ph/2015/03/why-the-unreachable-matters-to-the-modified-cct/#sthash.tQJIcWVT.dpuf

In the remote Singnapan Valley where caves become abodes during the rain, one can find the indigenous community of Tau’t Bato. A sub-group of the Pala’wan ethnic group, the Tau’t Bato is among the communities in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) where even the delivery of basic services is a big challenge. However, the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer (MCCT) accepts this challenge.

Reaching Sitio Singnapan – the gateway to the Tau’t Bato community – requires a day of hike up and down the rough and steep landscape of Mount Mantalingahan. Because of the isolation of the valley, the Tau’t Bato community runs on simple, if not scanty, living conditions. Their houses are made of bamboo and rattan straw only while the caves up the basin serve as their houses during rains. Their diet consists mostly of root crops, wild leaves, and bats. Diarrhea and measles are among the most common diseases that plague the community. In addition, malaria risk is very high year-round.

Under the governance of the municipality of Rizal in Palawan, the community receives occasional services from the local government such as medical missions and civil registration. However, because of the challenge of reaching the community, even the local government agrees that the Tau’t Bato deserves more.

Paving the way

The Tau’t Bato is one of the indigenous cultural communities being catered to by the Modified Conditional Cash Transfer for Indigenous Peoples in GIDA (MCCT-IPs in GIDA) implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). It is part of the efforts of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program to include the most vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors such as homeless street families, families in need of special protection, and IPs in GIDA.

Dormin Tamu, a Panglima or a member of their tribal council, shared how the inclusion of their community in the program allowed them better access to local government services. “Noon, wala pang serbisyo ng gobyerno ang nakarating dito sa amin. Simula nang dumating ang programa, dumating na rin ang iba’t-ibang tulong (Before, government services did not reach us. When the program came, other types of assistance started to arrive as well),” Panglima Dormin narrated.

MCCT for IPs in GIDA aims to facilitate the establishment of accessible and suitable delivery of healthcare and alternative educational services to extremely remote communities. Using the conditional cash transfer scheme, the program encourages indigenous cultural communities to avail of health services and alternative modes of learning.

This, in return, urges the local government to provide such services.

Embracing the changes

Literacy is low among the Tau’t Bato. Jonathan Daklay, one of the two persons from the community who finished high school with the help of missionaries, serves as the teacher to the community. He teaches literacy and non-formal education not only to children but to willing adults as well.

“Dati, akala ng mga kapwa ko katutubo ay nakakasira ng kultura ang pag-aaral. Pero simula nang pumasok ang Pantawid, hindi na ako nahihirapang ipaintindi sa kanila na mahalaga ang pag-aaral dahil nirerespeto ng programa ang mga kaugalian namin (Before, my fellow IPs believed that education destroys our culture. But when Pantawid came, it’s no longer hard for me to make them understand that education is important because the program respects our heritage),” Jonathan shared.

Jonathan also shared that since the community does not have a school, he conducts his classes inside their house. This changed one day when the parents in the community helped hand-in-hand to build a classroom with bamboo roofing and nipa walls, tied only with rattan straw, for the community to have their own school. This, for him, is the turning point in the community’s acceptance of education.

Now Jonathan knows that he is not alone.

Manglino Laan, one of the beneficiaries of MCCT in the community, also shares how happy they are that the program reached the Tau’t Bato. He shared that being one of the few who know how to read and write, he teaches abakada to the children. With MCCT around, encouraging them to study became easier. “Nakikita na namin na importante sa aming mga katutubo ang makapag-aral ang aming mga anak para matuto silang makabasa at makasulat (We now see the importance for us IPs that our children become educated so that they would know how to read and write),” Manglino shared.

The community’s perception of healthcare has also changed through time. Pregnant mothers are now willing to be checked-up by the municipal midwife who frequents the community. More children also undergo regular health monitoring and avail of immunization. This, according to the barangay health workers and their Panglima, could be attributed to the joint efforts of MCCT and the local government to encourage the Tau’t Bato.

‘No one left behind’

According to DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman, it is important that the indigenous cultural communities in GIDA are included in the program because it enables the beneficiaries to have access to health and educational services despite geographical challenges.

“Conditional cash transfer is proven to be among the most effective poverty alleviation strategies in the world, and including the most vulnerable sectors such as IPs in far-flung communities would mean that the program will leave no one behind no matter how challenging [the situation]. It makes the CCT work for them,” she added.

MCCT now has 218,377 household beneficiaries nationwide, 163,950 of which are indigenous peoples in GIDA.

The Tau’t Bato community, once regarded as unreachable, now believes that the day will come when every child and every Tau’t Bato would no longer need to walk for hours to get the services they deserve. As MCCT for IPs in GIDA extends a hand of service to them, the community extends theirs wide open – with their culture and heritage still intact.

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Pantawid Pamilya boosts self-esteem of partner-beneficiaries

Source: http://www.dswd.gov.ph

Street vendor Gilbert Ramos never imagined that he would one day be a decision maker in his barangay. An active member of his community, Gilbert now allocates the budget for priority projects in their area.

Gilbert was one of the parent leaders who were invited to share their stories of change during the Parent Leader’s Dialogue with Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) held last February 19, 2015 in Urdaneta, Pangasinan.

“Bilang isang Parent Leader, natuto akong mag ayos ng aking sarili. Dati, kung ano na lang ang maisuot ko kung ako ay magtitinda. Pero dahil sa Family Development Session (FDS), natutunan ko ang kahalagahan na maging presentable kahit na ako ay isang hamak na tindero lang. (As a Parent Leader I learned how to fix myself. I was not really concerned before about what to wear whenever I went out to sell. But because of the Family Development Session, I learned the importance of being presentable even if I was just a humble vendor),” Gilbert shared.

The FDS is a monthly session where the partner-beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program are required to attend as part of their co-responsibilities. Through the FDS, parent/s or guardians are educated about personality development which includes proper grooming and hygiene; strengthening family relationships; and fostering respect by inculcating one’s rights, roles, and responsibilities within the family and their community. Parents also discuss disaster preparedness, financial literacy, and other topics that may be helpful to the family.

Apart from being a parent leader, Gilbert is also part of the community health teams.

On the other hand, fellow parent leader Magnolia Robina shared how the program has empowered her as a wife.

“Dahil sa programa, tumaas ang aking self-esteem. Hindi na ako mahiyain ngayon. Kung dati, ang asawa ko lang ang nagdedesisyon, ngayon kasama na ako sa nagdedesisyon sa bahay namin (Because of the program, my self- esteem increased. I am no longer shy now. Before, my husband is just the one deciding, but now, I am now involved in the decision-making inside the house),” Magnolia said.

Amelia Lopez, a parent leader from Labrador, Pangasinan, recalled how the program transformed her into a more responsible citizen and productive member of their community.

“Dati hindi ako tumutulong sa barangay lalo na ‘pag nagpapatawag ang kapitan. Hindi naman ako ang sumasahod, bakit ako tutulong? Mas madalas nasa kapitbahay ako at nakikipag-chismisan. Pero ngayon sumasama na ako sa mga gingawang barangay clean-up drive. Ngayon, chismosa pa din ako pero nag level-up na. Ang chismis ko na ay tungkol sa programa at kung paano kami natutulungan lalo na ang aking mga anak (Before I do not help in our barangay, especially if it’s the barangay captain who is asking for our help. I don’t get paid so why should I help? Most of the time, you will see me with my neighbours gossiping. But now I am part of the barangay clean-up drive. I still do gossip but it has levelled- up. I talk about the program and how it is helping us especially my children),” Amelia testified.

The families of Gilbert, Magnolia, and Amelia, are just some of the 4,442,781 households nationwide whose lives have been transformed by the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.

Pantawid Pamilya is a human development program that invests in the health and education of poor households’ primary of children aged 0-18. It utilizes the conditional cash transfer scheme where the partner-beneficiaries receive their grants provided that they fulfill their co-responsibilities, including sending their children to school, availing of health services, and attending the monthly FDS.

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End-February 2015 GIR level rises to US$81.3 billion

Source: http://www.bsp.gov.ph/

Preliminary data showed that the country’s gross international reserves (GIR) rose to US$81.3 billion as of end-February 2015, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Officer-in-Charge Vicente S. Aquino announced today.1 This level was higher by US$0.6 billion compared to the end-January 2015 GIR of US$80.7 billion. The GIR level can cover 10.4 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and income. It is also equivalent to 8.6 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 6 times based on residual maturity.2

The increase in reserves was due mainly to the National Government’s (NG) net foreign currency deposits and the BSP’s foreign exchange operations and income from investments abroad. These were partially offset by revaluation adjustments on the BSP’s gold holdings arising from the decrease in the price of gold in the international market as well as on its foreign currency-denominated reserves, and payments made by the NG for its maturing foreign exchange obligations.

Net international reserves (NIR), which refer to the difference between the BSP’s GIR and total short-term liabilities, also increased to US$81.3 billion as of end-February 2015, compared to the end-January 2015 NIR of US$80.7 billion.

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1 The final data on GIR are released to the public every 19th day of the month in the Statistics section of the BSP’s website under the Special Data Dissemination Standards (SDDS). If the 19th day of the month falls on a weekend or is a non-working holiday, the release date shall be the working day nearest to the 19th.
2 Short-term debt based on residual maturity refers to outstanding external debt with original maturity of one year or less, plus principal payments on medium- and long-term loans of the public and private sectors falling due within the next 12 months.

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February inflation rises slightly to 2.5 percent

Source: http://www.bsp.gov.ph/

Headline inflation increased slightly to 2.5 percent year-on-year in February from 2.4 percent in January, but was within the BSP’s range forecast of 2.2-3.0 percent for the month. This brought the year-to-date average inflation rate to 2.4 percent, within the Government’s inflation range target of 3.0 percent ± 1.0 percentage point for 2015. Similarly, core inflation—which excludes certain volatile food and energy items to better capture underlying price pressures—rose to 2.5 percent in February from 2.2 percent in the previous month. Meanwhile, on a month-on-month seasonally-adjusted basis, inflation eased to 0.1 percent in February from 0.2 percent in January.

The higher February inflation reading was driven largely by the higher prices of selected non-food items. In particular, non-food inflation increased as a result of upward adjustments in electricity rates as well as higher prices for transport services. In contrast, food inflation decelerated on ample domestic supply of key food items such as rice, corn, meat, fruits, vegetables, and sugar.

Officer-In-Charge Vicente S. Aquino said that the actual inflation in February continues to affirm the BSP’s assessment of a manageable inflation environment over the policy horizon. Going forward, the BSP will continue to closely monitor developments on both the domestic and global fronts to ensure price stability conducive to balanced and sustainable economic growth.

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DTI crafts high quality construction projects to deliver better roads to Filipinos

Source: http://www.dti.gov.ph

“It is expected that more quality construction roads will be delivered to Filipinos, thus empowering and making them competitive,” Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (CIAP) Supervising Undersecretary Prudencio Reyes Jr. emphasized as more and more government infrastructure agencies including local government units (LGUs) express their desire and need to undergo a seminar workshop on Construction Performance Evaluation System (CPES).

The CPES is a rating system developed by the Philippine Domestic Construction Board (PDCB) of CIAP in cooperation with various government infrastructure agencies to monitor and evaluate the constructors’ project performance. CPES aims for the early detection of problem areas encountered in the project and to determine appropriate actions.

The Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte, a recipient province of the Australian Aid’s Provincial Road Management Facility (PRMF), requested PDCB to conduct a seminar-workshop on CPES to its Provincial Engineers’ Office personnel at Tubod, Lanao del Norte on 10-12 March. It will bring to a total number of 34 agencies implementing CPES, according to Engr. Leilani d.L. del Prado, PDCB Officer-in-Charge (OIC).

“The Philippines' PRMF is a combined initiative of the government of Australia and the government of the Philippines in coordination with PDCB to strengthen the capability and capacity of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the provincial LGUs to deliver better roads to the Filipino people," Reyes added.

Del Prado reported that based on PDCB records, there are 998 accredited evaluators as of 26 February 2015. The accredited CPES evaluators conduct an assessment of constructors’ projects performances with the aim to improve the quality and timely delivery of infrastructure projects in different places of the country. CPES Evaluators can also be tapped as trainers and resource speakers of future CPES seminar workshops receiving honoraria allowed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). They can also serve as third party CPES evaluators of construction projects of other infrastructure agencies aside from their own agency projects sharing expertise and experiences with them with the utmost aim to improve the quality of work.

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PHL Consulate General in Sydney hosts DFA Finance Officers' Training Workshop

Source: http://www.dfa.gov.ph

06 March 2015 - The Philippine Consulate General in Sydney hosted the Finance Officers’ Training Workshop on Financial Management Reporting for Asia-Pacific, Libya and Brazil from March 02 to 05.

The training workshop aimed to equip the Finance Officers of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) with knowledge on the new standards and reportorial requirements set by the Philippine Government's Public Financial Management reforms roadmap. The topics discussed included updates on public financial management reforms, an overview of the Unified Accounts Code Structure (UACS), procurement planning, budget process, internal control policies, guidelines on government expenditures, revenues and collections, and the Commission on Audit revised rules and procedures.

The resource persons for the training workshop were DFA Special Assistant to the Undersecretary for Administration Arvic Arevalo, Commission on Audit (COA) Director Marietta Lorenzo, DFA Office of Financial Management Services (OFMS) Acting Director Laarni Gandarosa, and DFA Resident Auditor Pearl Ramos.

During the opening of the workshop, Philippine Consul General Anne Jalando-on Louis welcomed the participants to Sydney and wished the Finance Officers a successful and fruitful four-day training that would further enhance their knowledge and skills on financial management.

In her message, Philippine Ambassador to Australia Belen F. Anota encouraged the participants to be open to learning and to practicing the new systems and processes that form part of the Philippine Government's thrust towards transparency. She cited the pronouncement of President Benigno S. Aquino III that “Good governance is good economics.” Ambassador Anota said that despite the learning curve that such changes entail for the finance officers, their efforts would be a significant contribution towards the government’s continued path to good governance.

Twenty-nine (29) Finance Officers from the Philippine Foreign Service Posts in Asia-Pacific, Libya and Brazil participated in the Workshop.

Consul General and Minister Nina Cainglet of the Philippine Embassy in Canberra, Trade Assistant Luningning Smith of the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Sydney (PTIC-Sydney), and Administrative Officer Ernesto Teston of the Philippine Department of Tourism Office in Sydney (DOT-Sydney) also attended several sessions of the workshop.

The training workshop, thus far, was the biggest in terms of the number of participating Finance Officers.

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PHL Ambassador explores shared PHL-Mexico history at National Museum of Vice Royalty of the New Spain

Source: http://www.dfa.gov.ph

06 March 2015 - Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Catalino R. Dilem, Jr., together with Communications Officer Don S. Elacion, visited the Museo Nacional del Virreinato del Nuevo España or the National Museum of the Vice Royalty of the New Spain in Tepotzotlán, State of Morelos, Mexico on February 28. The visit was in line with the Philippine Embassy’s cultural awareness program in order to add to its knowledge of the shared historical identities between the Philippines and Mexico.

The museum is housed in a former school and convent complex where Jesuits took residence in the 16th century. In 1964, part of the complex was transformed into a museum and is now home to the National Museum of the Vice Royalty of the New Spain. Numerous religious artworks and artifacts from the Spanish colonial era are found in its collection. Non-religious articles like cutlery, metals, textiles, silver, silk, porcelain and ceramics coming from Asia also form part of the museum’s exhibit. Majority of these items were transported during the Manila-Acapulco galleon covering the period 1565 to 1815.

The tour was given by well-respected Mexican archeologist, architect, and expert on Philippine-Mexican history, Dr. Juan Antonio Siller Camacho. He is also a professor and member of the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia y Historia (INAH).

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MB places Rural Bank of Magsingal (Ilocos Sur), Inc. under PDIC receivership, all valid insured deposit claims will be paid

Source: http://www.pdic.gov.ph

The Monetary Board (MB) placed the Rural Bank of Magsingal (Ilocos Sur), Inc. under the receivership of the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) by virtue of MB Resolution No. 331.B dated March 5, 2015. As Receiver, PDIC took over the bank on March 6, 2015.

Rural Bank of Magsingal is a single-unit rural bank with Head Office located in San Vicente, Magsingal, Ilocos Sur. Based on the Bank Information Sheet (BIS) filed by the Rural Bank of Magsingal with the PDIC as of December 31, 2014, the bank is owned by Felicisimo P. Gorospe (19.15%), Mario Rosalino U. Gorospe (15.77%), Rolando Ramos (12.77%), Valentin G. Preza (10.64%), Luzanta U. Gorospe (10.21%), Leonilo F. Ines, Jr. (9.57%), Ma. Teresa U. Gorospe (7.45%) and Leonilo Sean Ines III (2.26%). Its President and Chairman is Mario Rosalino U. Gorospe.

Latest available records show that as of December 31, 2014, Rural Bank of Magsingal had 458 accounts with total deposit liabilities of P17.4 million, all of which are insured.

PDIC said that during the takeover, all bank records shall be gathered, verified and validated. The state deposit insurer assured depositors that all valid deposits shall be paid up to the maximum deposit insurance coverage of P500,000.00.

Depositors with valid deposit accounts with balances of P50,000.00 and below need not file deposit insurance claims, except when they have outstanding obligations with the Rural Bank of Magsingal or acted as co-makers of the obligations, and have incomplete and/or have not updated their addresses with the bank. PDIC targets to start mailing payments to these depositors at their addresses recorded in the bank by the second week of March.

Depositors may update their addresses until March 10, 2015 using the Mailing Address Update Forms to be distributed by PDIC representatives at the bank premises.

For depositors that are required to file deposit insurance claims, the PDIC targets to start claims settlement operations for these accounts by the third week of March.

The PDIC also announced that it will conduct a Depositors-Borrowers Forum on March 12, 2015 to inform depositors of the requirements and procedures for filing deposit insurance claims. The time and venue of the Forum will be posted in the bank premises and announced in the PDIC website, www.pdic.gov.ph. Likewise, the schedule of the claims settlement operations, as well as the requirements and procedures for filing claims will be announced through notices to be posted in the bank premises, other public places and the PDIC website.

For more information, depositors may communicate with PDIC Public Assistance personnel stationed at the bank premises. They may also call the PDIC Toll Free Hotline at 1-800-1-888-PDIC(7342), the PDIC Public Assistance Hotlines at (02) 841-4630 to (02) 841-4631, or send their e-mail to pad@pdic.gov.ph.

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PDIC urges banks to avail of its bank strengthening programs

Source: http://www.pdic.gov.ph

Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) President Cristina Que Orbeta rallied members of the rural banking community to take advantage of PDIC's bank strengthening programs to help address the challenges brought about by the changing financial landscape. She said that while rural banks can rely on their inherent strength which is the trust and confidence of their respective communities, in the face of greater competition both from domestic and international banks, this competitive advantage must be combined with capital, good governance, good service and innovative and responsive banking.

Speaking before the Annual Management Conference of the Confederation of Central Luzon Rural Banks (CCLRB) held on February 6, 2015, the PDIC President emphasized that PDIC and BSP have put in place strengthening programs to encourage mergers, acquisitions, and consolidation among rural banks and thrift banks to address their capital requirements. "Once a bank is closed, the chances for its rehabilitation becomes very minimal, almost nil, thus we need to face the problems while the bank is still open and come up with solutions early enough to avoid a closure scenario," President Orbeta said.

President Orbeta told the rural banking community that she sees opportunities for PDIC to be a partner in the banks' journey to change through the Strengthening Program for Rural Banks Plus (SPRB Plus), a joint program of the PDIC and BSP; the Strengthening Program for Cooperative Banks Plus (SPCB Plus) of the PDIC, BSP and Land Bank of the Philippines; and PDIC's Investor-Investee Helpdesk.

Under the SPRB Plus, rural, thrift, universal and commercial banks, as well as non-bank corporations that qualify as strategic third party investors or so-called "white knights" may be granted financial assistance for the acquisition of thrift or rural banks. On the other hand, the counterpart program for cooperative banks, the SPCB Plus aims to encourage mergers, consolidations and acquisitions of cooperative banks to strengthen the cooperative banking sector. SPCB Plus has been extended until September 2015, while SPRB Plus will run up to the end of December 2015.

Aside from financial assistance, banks availing of these programs are also granted regulatory relief/s, branching and other incentives by the BSP.

"These are facilities and incentives which may be tapped by banks, who are in investment or expansion mode, to acquire, merge or consolidate with banks that have problems," President Orbeta said.

To facilitate the matching process, PDIC has developed the Investor Investee Helpdesk. The Helpdesk is an electronic match-making facility that aims to identify possible partners for merger and consolidation for all types of banks. It has been designed to preserve confidentiality for all registrants whether as investors or investees. Banks interested to apply as Investor must not be under the BSP's prompt corrective action and should not have been previously cited for violation of PDIC Regulatory Issuances. Meanwhile, to register as an Investee, or a bank looking for an investor, one should also be compliant with all PDIC regulations.

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President Benigno S. Aquino III's Speech at the Malacañang Prayer Gathering

Palace Grounds, Malacañan Palace

09 March 2015

Magandang hapon po.

Aminin ko po sa inyo, palagay ko naimpluwensyahan ho ako noon pa ng panonood sa programa sa TV noong araw eh. Kaya pareho ho tayong mahinahong magsalita. [Tawanan]

Joel [Villanueva], ‘di ka raw nakikita ng Tatay mo pala—buwan na. Noted, Bro. Eddie [Villanueva], papaalala po natin—meron yata ho sa Bibliya, “Honor thy Father.” [Tawanan] Pero alam ko, kung hindi man ho siya nagpapakita sa inyo—dutiful son ho talaga. Ayaw niyang sirain ang inyong magandang pangalan. Talaga hong, sabi ko nga hong noong kampanya ho, may isang araw na 21 ho yata ang engagements sa loob ng 24 hours, at saka parang apat na probinsya ho ang tinahak namin noong araw na iyon. So ang ground campaign manager namin eh ‘yung yumaong si Jesse Robredo. So noong natapos na po ang araw—actually sa susunod na araw na ho natapos—nagsalita ako, nasa isang bus ho kami, sabi ko sa kanya, “Alam mo, Jesse, pati kalabaw marunong umiyak.” Sabi niya, “Okay ho, bukas ho ‘di na tayo 24 engagements, 23 na lang.” [Tawanan]

Magandang hapon pong muli sa inyong lahat. [Palakpakan]

Tinuturuan po tayo ng ating pananampalataya, “We are our brother’s keeper.” At habang isinasabuhay natin ang aral na ito, hindi maiiwasan na subukin ang ating katatagan ng mga dumarating na hamon. Sa ganitong mga pagkakataon, binabalik-balikan naman natin ang sinabi ng mga taong tulad ni Martin Luther King, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” [Palakpakan]

Bilang Pangulo, hindi po madali ang ating tungkulin. At itong mga lumipas na araw, mayroong nagtanong sa aking mga ilan, “Alam ho naming mahirap ang trabaho mo, pero gaano ba talaga kahirap?”

Siguro, isang halimbawa lang po ng matinding problemang ating hinarap ay ang patung-patong na pagsubok sa bansa noong 2013: Inumpisahan ng lindol sa Bohol, sinundan ng kaguluhan sa Zamboanga, at pagkatapos po’y nagpaalam ang taon sa paghagupit ni Yolanda. Kulang na nga lang po ay ang pagputok ng bulkan. Ni hindi nga po natin ito mabanggit ng mga panahong iyon, baka biglang magkatotoo’t may pumutok pang bulkan—humabol pa.

Pero alam ho n’yo, noong parating si Yolanda, sinabi sa atin ng PhilVolcs, may danger ng lahar flows. Sabi ko, “Ano ba naman ang koneksyon ng bagyo sa lahar flow?” ‘Yung naipon raw pong nang pagputok ng Mayon amongst others nag-ipon ng lahar, ‘pag dumagsa ‘yong ulan, puwede hong umagos ito, at iyon na nga ho, lahar flow, may pinsala na namang panibago.

Sa lahat po ng ito, pinili po nating maging mahinahon, ‘wag magpadala sa emosyon, at ituon ang pansin sa kapakanan ng mas nakakarami; kabilang na ang mga kababayan natin—o sa sentro po ng ating gawain ang kababayan natin sa loob man o labas ng bansa. Ngunit hindi rin po maiiwasan na mayroon pa ring ilan na pinipiling maghasik ng duda at negatibismo. Sila ang tawagin na lang po nating “KSP”: mga “Kulang sa Pansin,” mga “Kulang sa Pag-iisip nang maayos,” na naghahanap lamang ng mali, ngunit wala namang nailalatag na risonable at alternatibong solusyon. Mayroon ding mga “Kulang sa Pagkalinga sa kapwa,” na nais lamang magkaroon ng kaguluhan kung saan sila mas makinabang. Siyempre, ang mga “Kulang sa Pananampalataya,” o ang mga ayaw kilalaning nariyan ang Panginoong handang umalalay at gumabay sa atin upang malampasan ang bawat suliranin.

Medyo nagulat po tayo na sinuhulan ko raw po kayo na mag-usap tayo. Kami po, at nandiyan po ang public record, handang makipag-usap sa lahat. Pakiusap lang ho natin, sana naman po ‘yong pag-uusap ay may patutunguhan. Kung pagdating po, kunwari may kausap tayo sa media, hindi pa natin nakakausap, tapos na ang istoryang gagawin—ano pa kaya ang silbi ng mag-usap tayo. ‘Pag meron naming sobrang sarado na po ang isip, na kung anoman ang sabihin natin eh hinahanap lang kung paano babaliktarin ang lumabas sa bibig natin—ano ho ba ang silbi ng pag-uusap? Basta ho maayos kausap, bukas po ang pintuan natin lalo na kung damang-dama natin na talaga naman ang pakay ay ikabubuti kung hindi man ho ng lahat eh ng nakakarami. Iyon po nakikita natin sa tauhan ni Bishop Eddie sampu ng mga kasamahan dito sa Christian Coalition Movement, amongst others.

Alam po n’yo, may mga KSP nga pong tinatawag natin, sila po ang mga nais matinag ang ating pag-asa. Sila po ang may nais muling samantalahin ang mga isyung ating hinaharap upang ibalik ang lumang kalakaran kung saan sila’y nanlalamang sa kapwa. Sila rin ang anumang gawin nating pasya, sa bawat kilos ng inyong pamahalaan, ay may nakahanda na agad na batikos at kritisismo, at kadalasan po, bago pa tayong may dinesisyon, kumilos o pagkilos, eh nakahanda na ang kritisismo. Marami ho silang alternative depende sa anong gagawin natin. Sila ang naghihintay lang ng oportunidad na mag-abuso ulit oras na makabalik sa poder.

Subalit nga po, sa kabilang banda, meron din naman po tayong mga kasamahan na talagang kaisa natin sa agenda ng mabuting reporma; mga kabalikat natin sa hangaring itaguyod ang kapakanan ng ating mga kababayan, lalo na ng mga pinakanangangailangan.

Isang halimbawa nap o dito si Bro. Eddie Villanueva. Alam n’yo naman na katunggali po natin siya noong nakaraang eleksyon 2010. Pero imbes na maghinanakit, minabuti niyang tulungan tayo sa pagpapabuti sa kalagayan ng ating mga kababayan. Sa halip na pagtuligsa [palakpakan] lang ang asikasuhin, tumotoo siya sa kanyang salita: ang paglingkuran ang kapwa at bansa. Kapag may hindi napagkaunawaan, tapat at matino siyang nakikipag-ugnayan sa atin upang mailatag ang nararapat na solusyon sa problema.

Alam po n’yo, meron tayong isang politiko sa kasalukuyan. Noong una po akong naupo, ang sabi niya sa akin, tungkulin ng bawat politikong tulungan ang administrasyong itinatag ng taumbayan lalo na sa umpisa nito. Matatapos na po ang ating termino sa loob ng isang taon at tatlong buwan, hinihintay ko po ‘yong suporta niyang darating. Pero dahil may pananampalataya ho tayo sa Diyos, hindi ho nawawala ang pag-asang baka naman ho sa fifth year and 364th day, baka dumating na ho ‘yung kanyang tulong. [Tawanan]

Nagpapasalamat din tayo naman sa ating mga kasama ngayon, ang mga pinuno ng iba’t ibang Christian groups sa pagbubuhos ninyo ng suporta sa ating agenda ng mabuting pamamahala. Talaga naman pong nakakapagpalakas ng loob ang pagkakataong ito na nagbubuklod-buklod tayo upang mag-alay ng panalangin para sa ating bayan.

Sa ganito pong mga pagkakataon, kompiyansa ako na kahit mahirap ang ating trabaho, basta naroon kayo na nakikiisa at nagbibigay-lakas, madadaig natin ang puwersang naghahangad na ibalik ang dating sistema. [Palakpakan] Alam ko pong magiging makabuluhan ang ating pagsisikap upang mangibabaw ang ating kolektibong hangarin na higit na kaunlaran at kasaganahan.

Kapag sinabi po nating pagtahak sa tuwid na landas, ito po ay paglihis sa maling landas o ang sistema ng pagpapanatili sa masasamang elemento, na walang dinadalang pakinabang sa marami nating kababayan. Ngayong tayo na ang nanunungkulan, hindi po tayo papayag na manatili tayo sa siklo ng baluktot na pamamahala, na parang paikot-ikot lang tayo sa merry-go-round o naglalaro lang tayo ng musical chairs. Tungkulin po natin—tungkulin ng bawat isa sa atin—na itama ang sistema sa lipunan. At sa amin po’y binansagan nga naming ‘yang “pagtahak sa tuwid na daan.”

Buo ang loob nating ituloy ang ating laban tungo sa transpormasyon ng bansa. Matibay ang pananampalataya ko sa Panginoon at sa kakayahan ng Pilipino. Patuloy akong maninindigan sa tama at katwiran. Nariyan nga po ang panibagong pagsubok na hinaharap natin ngayon ukol sa mga nais ibalik ang karahasan sa Mindanao. May mga panahon mang tila ako na lang ang natitirang tinig, patuloy nating ipinaglalaban ang kapayapaan dahil alam kong ito ang marapat na pagkilala sa sakripisyo ng marami na nating mga kababayan lalo na ang mga nasawi sa Mamasapano. Naniniwala tayo: Kapayapaan ang susi sa kaunlaran at ito ang maghahatid ng katarungan para sa bawat Pilipino. [Palakpakan]

Simple lang po ang pangarap ko: Ang ihatid ang bansa sa ‘di hamak mas magandang kalagayan kumpara sa ating dinatnan. Na kapag ako’y tinawag na ng Diyos, at sinabi Niyang, “Pass your papers, finished or not,” mababalikan ko ang aking mga nagawa at ating pinatulungan, at masasabi ko ang gaya ng nakasaad sa 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” [Palakpakan]

Nananalig po ako: sa gabay at pagmamahal ng Panginoon, at sa pakikiisa ng sambayanan, magtatagumpay tayo sa tuwid na daan. Basta nasa panig tayo ng katotohanan, basta’t iniisip natin ang kapakanan ng ating kapwa, basta inuuna natin ang interes ng nakakarami bago ang sarili, hindi na lamang po posibilidad ang mangarap, kundi karapatan na kayang tuparin ng bawat Pilipino.

Magandang hapon po. Maraming salamat sa lahat.

[HOME]

INTERVIEW OF COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY HERMINIO COLOMA, JR.

RMN / Straight to the Point by R. Sending and L. Escaros

09 March 2015

ESCAROS: Secretary, magandang umaga. Live ka sa DZXL-RMN Manila. Si Rogie at Lourdes po ito.

SEC. COLOMA: Magandang umaga sa inyo Lourdes at Rogie.

SENDING: Sir, ano po mangyayari sa prayer meeting mamaya na pangungunahan po ng ating Pangulo—para ho sa ating Pangulo?

SEC. COLOMA: Ang layunin po ay para mag-pokus doon sa pagkamit ng katahimikan sa ating bansa at iyong reconciliation, iyon pong magkaroon ng pagkakaunawaan ang iba’t-ibang sector ng ating lipunan para makasulong po tayo patungo sa pagtamo ng ating mga layunin bilang isang bansa.

SENDING: Ano pong mga religious denomination ang dadalo diyan. Kasi may mga balita sa peryodiko ngayon, iyong mga Obispo daw po ng CBCP mukhang hindi daw po imbitado. Totoo po ba iyon, sir?

SEC. COLOMA: Ganito po ang background. A few weeks po, na siguro one or two weeks, after nung kaganapan sa Mamasapano kaya nagkaroon po ng pagpupulong ang mga lider ng mga evangelical churches sa Pangulo. Sila po ay nakipanayam sa Pangulo at katulad ng mga mamamayan gusto rin nilang maunawaan ang background nung isinagawang operasyon laban sa mga international terror suspects na sila Marwan at Usman sa Mamasapano. At doon po sa pagkakataon na iyon ay pinaliwanag ng Pangulo iyong dahilan kung bakit naglunsad ng iba’t-ibang operasyon ang pamahalaan simula pa nung mga nakaraang taon. At tinalakay din iyong mismong kaganapan sa Mamasapano at ipinaliwanag ng Pangulo iyong kanyang pagkakaunawa tungkol sa mga naganap. At mula po doon sa pag-uusap na iyon, umusbong itong panukala na magkaroon ng isang prayer gathering. Kung maalala natin nung isang taon ay nagdaos na rin po tayo nito, noong January 20, 2014, at ito naman ay panalangin para sa kaligtasan ng ating mga mamamayan mula sa mga natural na kalamidad.

SENDING: So, mga evangelical pastors po ang mananalangin ho mamaya, sir?

SEC. COLOMA: Iyon po. Doon po sa nabatid natin, ilan po sa mga kabilang, sorry lang po kung may mao-omit tayo, ay iyong Jesus Is Lord Movement, iyong Church of God International, iyong Philippines for Jesus Movement at Intercessors for the Philippines at iba pang mga pangkat.

ESCAROS: Pero puwede namang pumunta kung hindi po imbitado?

SEC. COLOMA: Hindi ko lang po batid iyong mismong arrangements para dito, ano. Iyon pa lang po ang kasama sa ating advisory. Medyo naiiba po ito sa nakaraang January 2014. Dahil nga iyong sa 2014 ay tungkol nga sa natural calamity at mas mahabang panahon ang preparasyon at nagkaroon din ng pagkakataon na mas marami ang naimbita.
Sabihin na lang natin, Lourdes na ang mahalaga naman dito ay iyong diwa ng pagdadasal at iyong diwa ng pagkakaisa para sa kapayapaan at iyong pagkakaunawaan ng mga Pilipino, na kahit naman iyong mga hindi mismong pisikal na naroon, kasama naman sila doon sa pagpapanalangin. Kasama rin sila doon sa panawagan na magkaroon tayo ng pagkakaunawaan. Hindi naman po dahil wala doon ay hindi po kasali. Ang pino-promote po natin ay iyong diwa ng panalangin at pagkakaunawaan.

SENDING: Sir kaugnay ho dito, siyempre alam natin na maugong pa rin po itong usapin sa Mamasapano. Iyon hong resulta daw po ng imbestigasyon ng BOI, diretso po ba ito sa tanggapan ng Pangulo?

SEC. COLOMA: Ang batid po natin ay magbibigay sa kanya ng ulat ang Philippine National Police.

SENDING: Pero iyon pong pagsasa-publiko po niyan, na kanino hong poder iyan, nasa BOI ho ba o may pahintulot dapat ang Pangulo bago ito isapubliko?

SEC. COLOMA: Ito po ang mahalaga. Anuman po ang findings niyan, ipapabatid po sa mamamayan at ilalahad po. Wala pong ikukubli, wala pong itinatago, lahat ng resulta ay malalaman, lahat ng mga mahahalagang kaganapan ay isasalaysay dahil iyon po ang layunin ng pagsasagawa ng pagsisiyasat. Ang pokus po natin dapat ay iyong paglalahad ng mga findings at iyong pag-unawa natin doon sa mga naganap. At ang layunin din naman po ng pagsasagawa ng inquiry ay iyong pag-alam kung paano mapapahusay iyong mga ganyang klaseng operasyon. Naalala ko po iyong paliwanag ni OIC Police Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina na ang pokus po nung pagsisiyasat ay iyong operational audit. Dahil meron pong mga takdang patakaran sa paglulunsad ng mga kahalintulad na operations ay inaalam po ano, kung paano ba nasunod o hindi nasunod iyong mga established procedures or protocols for engagement.

ESCAROS: Okay, Secretary. Sa ibang tanong, mas maganda kung direkta ko na lang itatanong sa inyo. Kasi ito ho iyong nagiging opinyon ng aming tagapakinig din. Naki-alam po ba iyong Malacañang, si PNoy, kaya po hindi sumama iyong maraming mga pulis sa 44 kilometer SAF march kahapon?

SEC. COLOMA: Hindi po. Wala pong involvement ang ating pamahalaan. Sa pagkabatid po natin ito ay inisyatiba ng Philippine National Police Academy Alumni Association. Wala pong panghihimasok o involvement ang ating pamahalaan na kahit ano. Iyon pong mga nagsasabi niyan, wala pong batayan ang mga sinasabi at wala pong katuwiran ang kanilang paratang.

ESCAROS: Sa madaling salita po, maaring iyong mga kumalat na text messages galing sa mga police ay galing po sa hanay lamang nila?

SEC. COLOMA: Siguro nga po. Hindi po natin alam kung sino po ang nagpasimuno. Ang alam lang po natin, kinikilala naman iyong karapatan ng mga indibidwal o grupo na magpahayag ng kanilang saloobin. Ang panawagan lang natin palagi ay sana ay gawin ito ng naayon sa batas.

ESCAROS: Pero iyon pong sinasabi na maging sa mga public places eh hindi po sila pinayagang magtipun-tipon. Sinasabi rin na mukhang ma-impluwensiya iyong humarang dito po sa mga nag-martsa?

SEC. COLOMA: Sandali lang Lourdes. Hindi ba’t nakapag-martsa sila ng apatnapu’t-apat (44) na kilometro. Hindi ba’t ang dinaanan nila ay public place o national highway pa nga iyong karamihan. Hindi ba’t nakapagpahayag din naman sila sa harapan ng Kampo Krame, isa ring public place. Hindi naman po ipinagbabawal iyon at hindi naman po pinigilan. Baka po ang tinutukoy lang ay iyong kagustuhan nila na mag-rally sa Quezon Memorial Circle yata ano. At iyon ay hindi pinahintulutan. Meron din naman po tayong regulasyon na ang lokal na pamahalaan ay mayroong katwiran na mag-regulate kung saan papayagan o hindi papayagan. Baka mainam tanungin din natin sila Mayor Bautista kung ano iyong naging basis nila. Basta po doon sa bagay na iyon wala din naman pong involvement ang ating pambansang pamahalaan.

SENDING: Sir, sa usapin po ng BBL. Alam natin na may pahayag umano ang liderato ng Kongreso na sa Hunyo ipapasa na po ito. May pressure ho baa ng Palasyo sa mga mambabatas para pilitin talaga ito. Kahit sinasabi ng ilan na dapat hindi ito minamadali?

SEC. COLOMA: Wala pong pressure at wala pong pamimilit. Unawain po natin, meron po kasing schedule ang session ng Kongreso. Iyong kasalukuyan pong session hanggang March 18 lang po iyon, meron po silang Holy Week break. Pagkatapos sila po ay magre-resume ng May 4. Ang nakatakda po ay hanggang June 11 po iyon. Pagkatapos noon ay meron silang mahabang break hanggang last Monday of July, na kung kailan ay magbubukas muli ang kanilang session para doon sa State of the Nation Address. Iyan pong mga timeline na iyan ay timeline po ng Kongreso. Hindi po kami ang nag-set noon. Kaya sa praktikal na pananaw, puwede lang pong maganap iyong talakayan doon sa schedule lang po nila mismo. Hindi naman sila puwedeng magpasa ng batas kung sila ay nasa recess. Iyan lang naman po ang pinag-uusapan. Wala pong nagpe-pressure. Kaya po naririnig natin iyong mga petsa na iyan ay iyan lang po ang talagang date na kung kelan puwede pong maganap iyong pagtatalakay nila at iyong pagpapasa ng batas. Wala pong pagpipilit na ginagawa, wala pong pagdidikta kung kelan dapat. Ang tinitingnan lang po natin iyong petsa at saka iyong schedule ng kanilang session.

ESCAROS: Kung sakali pong gipitin talaga sa oras. May plano ho ba ang Pangulo, sa tingin ninyo, na magpatawag ng special session para ho lang diyan sa BBL?

SEC. COLOMA: Premature naman pong pag-isipan iyan at pag-usapan, dahil hindi pa naman po sila nagtatalakayan. Hindi po tayo nagbibigay ng ganyang mga spekulasyon dahil binibigyan po natin ng laya ang ating mga mambabatas na gawin iyong kanilang trabaho. Baka po kapag napag-usapan ay meron namang magsasabi na may pressure na naman. Kaya mas mainam siguro huwag na lang talakayin, dahil hindi pa naman kailangang pag-usapan.

ESCAROS: Secretary, sige, para maging malinaw din sa amin kasi alam ninyo hindi po ito namamatay. Ano ho ba talaga iyong nangyari sa closed-door meeting – kung meeting man iyon – na pinatawag ni PNoy dito po sa PNP-SAF?

SENDING: SAF commandos.

ESCAROS: Oo, sa mga SAF commandos. Kasi may mga lumalabas na nabastusan daw po iyong iba dahil hindi raw maganda ang sagot ni PNoy. At least, galing ho sa inyo, malinawan: Ano ho ba talaga iyong nangyari’t napag-usapan?

SEC. COLOMA: Ganito po ‘no, iyong naganap noong nakaraang linggo ay isang operations review. Ano po ang ibig sabihin ng operations review? Pangkaraniwan po na kapag mayroong major operation o misyon na isinasagawa, gumagawa po assessment at evaluation para matignan kung tama ba iyong ginawa, kung naaayon ba ito sa procedure, at kung lahat ba ng mga lohikal na option na dapat na kinunsidera ay napag-aralan.
Kahit naman po sa anumang well-managed organization – meron din naman po akong karanasan sa private sector – ginagawa po iyan. Meron pong assessment kapag meron kayong major project na katatapos lamang, nire-review po iyon. Kahit successful, nire-review pa rin dahil mapupulutan ng mga mahahalagang aral.
Kaya doon po sa pagpupulong na iyon ay nagkaroon nang malayang pagpapalitan ng obserbasyon tungkol doon sa kung paano isinagawa iyong operation sa Mamasapano. At kinapanayam muli ng Pangulo iyong mga opisyal ng SAF na lumahok doon sa misyon na iyon at nagkaroon sila ng assessment kung ano iyong ginawang tama, kung ano iyong ginawa na hindi tama, at kung paano ito mapapabuti sa kinabukasan. Iyon po ang puno’t-dulo nung naganap na pagpupulong.

ESCAROS: Bakit po hindi naging bukas sa media para po sana nakita. Hindi po tulad nung dati na bukas pero mukhang inisnab nga ng PNP-SAF si PNoy sa kaniyang unang—

SEC. COLOMA: Sandali lang, Lourdes, ‘no. Medyo may kalabisan yata ‘yung iyong pagbanggit diyan.

ESCAROS: Opo, opo.

SEC. COLOMA: Saksi ako mismo doon sa naganap noong ika-alas dose y media ng madaling araw noong January 31 ‘no, kasi buong araw nandoon na si Pangulo. Wala naman akong nakitang pang-iisnab doon. Kasi formation sila eh, hindi naman pangkaraniwan, hindi naman regular sa kanila iyong magre-recite sa isang formation. At doon din sa aking personal na karanasan ‘no, case method professor ako sa AIM, kahit na ang grado nila ay batay sa participation, hindi naman ganoon kadali na magre-recite ang mga estudyante na kara-karaka.
Ang importante, wala namang pagpipigil na ginawa sa kanila noong January 31. At sinabihan naman sila, puwede namang ipagpatuloy iyong diyalogo. Mahirap kasi iyong mga ganiyang interpretasyon, Lourdes, dahil parang masyadong binigyan na natin ng kulay iyong mga pinaka-inosenteng kaganapan. Kaya wala pong ganiyang pangyayari, at mas maigi na huwag na tayong mag-indulge sa ganiyang klaseng ispekulasyon dahil hindi naman po nakakatulong.

ESCAROS: May isa pong event na nagsalita si PNoy na nagtayuan – nag-alisan ang pinaka-right term, nai-report din po sa amin ng Malacañang reporter namin – iyong mga pulis.

SEC. COLOMA: Kailan po kaya iyon?

ESCAROS: Well, hindi ko na ma-recall iyong date, sir, pero ito ay nai-report din ng Malacañang reporter namin na nag—

SEC. COLOMA: Eh ‘di tanungin po natin si Ginoong Deo De Guzman kung kailan iyon, at magkaliwanagan dahil wala po akong naaalalang ganiyang kaganapan.

SENDING: Sir, maisingit ko na rin lang, nandiyan ho kayo: Ano ho ang pananaw ho ninyo dito ho sa panawagan, halimbawa, ng international human rights lawyer na si Amal Alamuddin na dapat daw ay payagan nang makapagpagamot sa labas ng bansa itong si dating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo dahil karapatan niya daw ho itong magpagamot?

SEC. COLOMA: Lahat naman po ng karapatan natin bilang mga mamamayan ay regulated din naman po ng batas. At ang sinusunod po natin, kapag ang isang tao ay akusado ay iyong hurisdiksyon ng hukuman. Ngayon po ay nasa hurisdiksyon ng hukuman si dating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. At meron pong mga proseso, kung gusto iyang magpagamot, iyon pong mga abogado niya ay puwede naman pong maghain ng kahilingan at ito ay aaksyunan ng hukuman.

SENDING: Kung papayagan ho ng hukuman, hindi ho pipigilan ng Aquino administration?

SEC. COLOMA: Unawain po natin, Rogie, ‘no sa ating sistema ng batas, hiwalay po iyong Ehekutibo sa Hudikatura at sa Lehislatura. Hindi po kami nakikialam sa proseso ng batas.

SENDING: Okay.

ESCAROS: So, sang-ayon ho kayo, sir?

SEC. COLOMA: Again, Lourdes, ‘no ang pinaliwanag ko, iyong pagkakahiwalay. Ibig sabihin, kung magpapasya iyong hukuman at ito ay lawful order na ng hukuman, hindi po ito babaliin o susuwayin ng pamahalaan. Ngayon, iyong pagiging sang-ayon po, depende po iyon sa paghahain ng partikular na petitisyon; at ang haharap po diyan ay iyong mga prosecutors po ng ating pamahalaan. Hindi naman po iyong Tanggapan ng Pangulo ang humaharap diyan. Kaya kailangan pong kuhanin din naman iyong pananaw ng ating mga prosecutors. Iyon lang po ‘no.
Meron po kasing maayos na proseso para sa lahat. Hindi naman po nangyayari na para bang lahat nang nangyayari sa ating bansa ay nasa kumpas lang po ng Tanggapan ng Pangulo. Hindi po ganoon.

SENDING: Hindi naman ho pipigilan o kaya ay aatasan ng Malacañang ang mga government prosecutors na i-oppose saka-sakali nga na payagan ng hukuman?

SEC. COLOMA: Unawain natin muli, Ka Rogie ‘no.

SENDING: Opo.

SEC. COLOMA: Iyong pagkilos po ng pamahalaan ay naaayon sa mga kongkretong circumstances – depende po sa urgency ng request na ihahain, depende po sa specific circumstances. Tatanggapin po ng ating pamahalaan iyong sitwasyon na kanilang kinakaharap. At sinabi ko nga po sa inyo ngayon lang, hindi naman po lahat ng kilos ng pamahalaan ay kinakailangang manggaling sa Tanggapan ng Pangulo. Ito po ay nasa pagtataya at pag-aaral din ng iba’t ibang ahensiya. Iyong pinag-uusapan po natin ay sa Department of Justice.

SENDING: Oho. Sir, panghuli na lang. Kumusta ho ang Pangulo, sir? Iyong public engagement niya, hindi ba nalilimitahan pa dahil nga dito sa mga pangyayaring ito? After ho nitong mga ugong ng mga pagpapabagsak sa kaniya, panawagan ng pag-resign, ang Pangulo [ay] kumpiyansa naman sa kaniyang pamumuno sa mga sandaling ito?

SEC. COLOMA: Sa bawat araw, ang pangunahing pong hinaharap ng Pangulo ay iyong mga usapin ng ating bansa. Marami pong mga programa na dapat ipatupad, marami pong reporma na nasimulan na nais tapusin. At habang nag-uusap po tayo ay palapit nang palapit na rin iyong pagtatapos ng termino ng administration, sa June 30, 2016, kaya’t pina-prioritize lang naman po ng Pangulo iyong pagharap sa mga mahahalagang usapin ng bansa. At iyon namang mga kinakailangang mga pampublikong engagements ay ini-schedule din naman po iyan.
Kaya lang nga po, katulad ng iyong binanggit, dahil sa kahalagahan ng kinaharap natin na pangyayari ay nag-ukol din ng panahon ang Pangulo para bigyang prayoridad iyong mismong pag-alam niya ng katotohanan hinggil sa buong kaganapan. Pero patuloy po iyong trabaho ng ating pamahalaan, patuloy ang pagganap ng Pangulo sa kaniyang mga tungkulin at iyong pag-asikaso po sa buong larangan ng paglilingkod publiko na inaasahan ng ating mga mamamayan.

SENDING: Iyon hong nakitang higpit ng seguridad, sir, na hindi naman ho maitatwa. Para maunawaan namin, meron ho bang banta sa buhay ng Pangulo?

SEC. COLOMA: Baka maikuwento mo lang sa akin kung ano iyong mga tinuturing mo na kakaibang seguridad sa iyong obserbasyo. Dahil sa amin naman pong pagkaalam ay wala naman pong extra-ordinary security measures. Lahat naman po nang isinasagawa ay iyon lang naaayon sa pangangailangan.

SENDING: Isingit ko na rin lang, panghuli na lang po. Kailan ho mapupunan ang mga bakanteng puwesto, halimbawa, Comelec Chairman, COA Chairman, itong PNP Chief?

SEC. COLOMA: Patuloy na pinag-aaralan iyong mga rekumendasyon hinggil sa mga nominado para sa mga posisyon na ito. Dahil nga sa kahalagahan ng mga posisyon na pupunan ay nag-uukol ng panahon para masusing pag-aralan iyong kuwalipikasyon ng mga nominado.
Pansinin din natin na habang hindi pa ito napupunuan, patuloy din naman iyong mga functions ng mga komisyon na ito dahil meron naman silang quorum at meron din naman sapat na awtoridad iyong mga commissioners ‘no, halimbawa ng Comelec, ng Civil Service at ng Commission on Audit. At kapag napili na iyong mga pinuno ng mga komisyon na iyan, mga constitutional bodies na iyan, ay ilalahad naman kaagad at maipagpapatuloy naman ang gawain ng mga constitutional bodies.

SENDING: Oho. Wala naman hong napangakuan diyan na mga mambabatas, ‘Ipasa ninyo muna ang BBL para sa iyo iyang posisyon na iyan’?

SEC. COLOMA: Ka Rogie, hindi po ganiyan ang istilo, karakter at pagkatao ng ating Pangulo.

SENDING: Okay. Salamat po, Secretary Sonny Coloma, sir. Magandang umaga po muli sa inyo, sir.

SEC. COLOMA: Lourdes at Rogie, maraming salamat sa pagkakataon. Magandang umaga sa inyo.

SOURCE: News Information Bureau - Data Processing Center

[HOME]

INTERVIEW OF COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY HERMINIO COLOMA, JR.

DZRB / “Pilipinas! Pilipinas!” kasama sina Albert Sebastian at Efren Montano

08 March 2015

MGA PAUNANG PAHAYAG

Pagdiriwang ng Pandaigdigang Araw ng Kababaihan

Nakikiisa ang pamahalaan sa buong mundo sa pagdiriwang ng Pandaigdigang Araw ng Kababaihan. Kinikilala ng pamahalaan ang mahalagang papel at kontribusyon ng kababaihan sa ating lipunan, ‘di lamang bilang ilaw ng ating mga tahanan, kung hindi bilang isang matibay na haligi sa patuloy na pag-angat ng ating ekonomiya.

Sa Pilipinas ang Marso ang itinakdang buwan ng kababaihan alinsunod sa Republic Act 6949, an Act to Declare March 8 of Every Year as a Working Special Holiday to be known as National Women’s Day, na isinabatas noong taong 1990. Muling pangungunahan ng Philippine Commission on Women ang pagsasagawa ng mga aktibidad at gawain sa ilalim ng temang “Juana, Desisyon mo ay Mahalaga sa Kinabukasan ng Bawat Isa. Ikaw Na!” upang itanghal sa publiko ang mga importanteng nakamtan ng mga kababaihang Pilipina sa iba’t ibang larangan at itaguyod ang kanilang karapatan bilang mga katalista ng pag-unlad.

Sa loob ng mahigit na apat na taon ng Aquino administration, higit pang pinaigting ng pamahalaan ang pagpapatupad ng mga programa na magsusulong ng malaya at bukas na pakikilahok at maayos na pagkakatawan ng mga kababaihan sa lahat ng aspeto ng pagbabalangkas ng mga desisyon at pambansang polisiya, maging ang pagsulong ng mga inisyatiba ng pribadong sektor batay sa prinsipyong nakapaloob sa Republic Act 9710 o ang Magna Carta of Women.

Matatandaang sa nakaraang 2014 Global Gender Gap Report ng World Economic Forum, nasa ikasiyam na puwesto at kaisa-isang bansa mula sa Asya ang Pilipinas mula sa kabuuang 142 bansa sa buong mundo pagdating sa pagtataguyod ng pagkakapantay ng kasarian o gender equality at pagsulong ng karapatan at pantay na kapangyarihan sa mga kababaihan sa apat na aspeto: economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival, at political empowerment.

Sa nasabing ulat, nanguna ang Pilipinas sa educational attainment at health and survival, samantalang nasa ika-17 at ika-24 na puwesto naman ang bansa sa political empowerment at economic participation. Isa sa pangunahing adbokasiya at programa ng pamahalaan ay ang pagpapatigil sa karahasan laban sa kababaihan o violence against women. Masigla ring itinataguyod ang pagpapababa sa maternal and infant mortality na isa sa ating Millennium Development Goals at inaasahang ito ay higit pang maitataguyod sa pamamagitan ng pagpapairal sa Reproductive Health and Responsible Parenthood Law.

Hinggil sa mga Pinakahuling Developments sa K-to-12 Program

Isa sa mga pangunahing repormang itinataguyod ng Aquino administration ay ang pagpapatupad ng K-to-12 program na naglalayong pahusayin ang buong sistema ng edukasyon sa bansa para maging kapantay ng pandaigdigang pamantayan. The implementation of the K-to-12 program aims at enhancing the competitiveness of the Filipino in the global economy. This became national policy upon the enactment of Republic Act 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, which became effective on June 08, 2013.

Perceived disadvantages brought about by its implementation are being addressed jointly by the Cabinet education cluster composed of DepEd (Department of Education), CHED (Commission on Higher Education), and TESDA (Technical Education Skills Development Authority). Since the effectivity of the law and the implementing rules and regulations, DepEd, CHED, and TESDA have conducted consultations with various stakeholders from public and private schools, so that there will be a clear understanding of the K-to-12 program and to ensure a smooth and proper transition by school year 2016 from the current school program.

We encourage all that still have queries regarding the K-to-12 program to continue to dialogue with the DepEd and CHED so that all their concerns can be addressed. According to Secretary (Armin) Luistro, “we are in constant contact with CHED and DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) as to the actual number of general education faculty in private higher education institutions (HEI) who would be affected.

The estimated numbers have since gone down to around 8,000 during the first year of implementation on June 2016. DepEd will be hiring around 30,000 and we will be prepared to prioritize those who choose to apply to our senior high school program. Many private HEIs are already preparing and have requested DepEd for a permit to open a secondary high school that could further bring down the number of affected faculty. There is also a proposal from CHED for a stabilization fund which could be tapped by private HEIs during the transition.”

MGA TANONG AT SAGOT

Mr. Montano: Bale follow up lang po dito sa K-to-12, ibig sabihin ay ina-address naman ng ating pamahalaan ‘yung concerns ng ilang sektor tungkol dito sa implementasyon ng K-to-12, pero ano po ba ‘yung mababanggit ng Palasyo doon sa moves na ito ay pigilan—‘yung implementasyon ng K-to-12—at kabilang dito si Senator (Antonio) Trillanes na nais ipahinto itong implementasyon ng K-to-12 po?

SEC. COLOMA: Pwedeng pakiulit ‘yung tanong? ‘Yung—so ano ang tanong hinggil diyan, Efren?

Mr. Montano: Kung ano po ‘yung mababanggit ng Palasyo doon sa mga moves to block K-to-12 na kabilang nga diyan si Senator Trillanes na nais niyang ito ay mapahinto, ‘yung implementasyon ng K-to-12, although kanina tiniyak natin na ina-address naman ‘yung mga concerns ng mga stakeholders dito sa K-to-12 po.

SEC. COLOMA: Ganoon na nga ang kabuuan ng posiyon ng ating pamahalaan, Efren, kaya ako ay nagpahayag ng posisyon ng Cabinet cluster na binubuo ng DepEd, CHED, at TESDA. ‘Yon kasing tinutukoy ng mga nagpepetisyon laban sa K-to-12 ay patungkol doon sa concern nila na sila ay mawawalan ng trabaho at madidisplace. Kaya doon sa ipinahayag na rin ni Brother Armin Luistro, ang kalihim ng DepEd, tinutukoy na ang sitwasyong ito. Marami na doon sa mga paaralang mayroong general education program ay nag-a-apply na para makapagtatag sila ng senior high school.

Ang mangyayari kasi, doon sa unang implementasyon, hindi kaagad pupunta sa kolehiyo ‘yung mga datihang hanggang fourth year high school lamang dahil nadagdagan nga hanggang Grade 12. Kaya imbes na first year college na sila katulad ‘nung dating sistema ay dadaan pa sila sa senior high scool. Kaya ang panukala hinggil diyan ay pahintulutan silang magtatag din ng kanilang senior high school dahil wala naman ito doon sa kasalukuyang high school system natin, idadagdag pa, samantalng ‘yung mga HEIs o ‘yung mga kolehiyo ay mababakante ‘yung first two years nila.

Kaya para mapunan ‘yung gap na ‘yon, ang nakikitang alternatibo ay ‘yung pagtatatag ng senior high school at doon pwedeng magturo ‘yung mga dating nagtuturo sa first two years ng college habang ipinapatupad ‘yung transition na ito.

Mr. Sebastian: Sir, mayroon na po kaya tayong update tungkol doon kay Mary Jane Veloso, ‘yon pong Pilipina na nasa death [row] po sa Indonesia?

SEC. COLOMA: Mayroon pong ulat hinggil diyan ang Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Sandali lang po at tutunghayan ko po ‘yung kanilang ulat. Patuloy [ang] pakikipag-ugnayan at paghatid ng tulong na legal ng pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng DFA. Ito ang isinasagawa sa kasalukuyan para sa kapakanan ni Binibining Mary Jane Veloso, ang ating kababayan na nahaharap sa death row sa Indonesia bunga ng isang drug related na kaso.

Ayon sa pinakahuling ulat ng DFA, pormal nang naendorso ng Sleman District Court sa Yogyakarta sa Supreme Court sa Jakarta ang kaso ni Mary Jane para magsagawa ito ng judicial review matapos ang pagdinig doon sa district court noong Marso 3 at 4. Inaantabayanan pa ng DFA ang abiso mula sa ating embahada hinggil sa magiging kapasiyahan ng Supreme Court ng Indonesia kung kailan ito magsasagawa ng unang pagdinig.

Walang isasagawang execution habang dinidinig ang kaso sa Korte Suprema at hindi titigil ang pamahalaan sa lubos na pagtatanggol sa mga karapatan ni Mary Jane Veloso.

Mr. Sebastian: Sir, question po galing naman kay Junry Hidalgo. Ang sabi niya, ano po ang reaksyon ninyo sa sinabi ni Senadora Grace Poe na pinuno ng Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs na makakasama sa kanilang ilalabas na committee report ang pagkukulang sa Oplan Exodus? Binanggit ng senadora na kasama rito ang mga ginawa o hindi ginawa ng Pangulong Aquino.

SEC. COLOMA: Hihintayin po natin ang kanilang ulat at aantabayanan ang kanilang mga findings bago po tayo magbigay ng komento. Ang nais po ng Pangulong Aquino ay mailabas ang buong katotohanan at nakikiisa naman po ang pamahalaan sa mga pagsisiyasat para po matamo ang layuning ito.

Mr. Sebastian: Alright. Sir, siguro related din pong tanong, galing pa rin po kay Junry. Sabi niya, matitiyak ba ng Palasyo na maigagawad na ang hustisya para sa mga kapamilya ng SAF (Special Action Force) 44, kasunod ng ilalabas na BOI (Board of Inquiry) report?

SEC. COLOMA: ‘Yan po ay itinataguyod ng ating pamahalaan. Sa katunayan, batid natin na ang mga kagawad ng NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) at Department of Justice (DOJ) ay nagtungo na sa pinangyarihan ng pagpaslang sa ating SAF 44. Nagsagawa na po sila ng kanilang pagsisiyasat at nag-umpisa na ‘yung kanilang case buildup hinggil dito.

Mr. Sebastian: Sir, follow up din niya, kung sakali titiyakin ba ng Palasyo na walang sisinuhin ang mga sasampahan ng kasong kaugnay sa Mamasapano incident?

SEC. COLOMA: Sisiguruhin po ng pamahalaan ‘yung paggawad ng ganap na katarungan, at ayon nga po sa ating sistemang sinusunod at tinataguyod, ang simbolo po ng katarungan sa ating bansa ay isang babaeng nakapiring. Kaya katulad ng iyong nabanggit, wala po itong kinikilala at walang sinisino, basta po kailangang lumitaw ang katotohanan at magawaran ng katarungan ang ating mga SAF 44 troopers.

Mr. Sebastian: Alright. Sir, question muli galing kay Junry on another topic. Sabi po niya, any reaction po sa sinabi ni Senator Serge Osmeña na pinuno ng Senate Committee on Energy na hindi katiyakan ang ibibigay na emergency powers kay PNoy na matitiyak na walang mangyayaring brownout ngayong summer. Ehemplo ni Osmeña na lalo na kung dalawang power plants ang sabay na masisira, at binanggit din ng senador na misnomer daw ang bansag na emergency powers na ibinigay sa Pangulo, dahil ang totoong kahulugan nito ay ang pagtatayo ng bagong emergency plant batay sa EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) Law.

SEC. COLOMA: Hintayin na lang po natin kung ano ang magiging nilalaman ng ilalabas ng Kongreso dahil tinatalakay pa lamang nila ang pagbubuo nitong joint congressional resolution. Samantala, ang pangunahing layunin ng ating pamahalaan sa pangunguna ng Department of Energy ay maibsan ‘yung banta ng pagkakaroon ng mga brownout, dahil katulad nga po ng madalas na sabihin ng ating Pangulo, ang pinaka-expensive na power ay ‘yung ‘no power.’ At dahil po nasasaksihan din natin ‘yung mabilis na pag-unlad ng ating ekonomiya na nangangailangan ng patuloy na suplay ng kuryente, ginagawa po ng gobyerno ang lahat para nga po matugunan ‘yung banta na magkakaroon ng kakulangan ng suplay ng kuryente.

Mr. Sebastian: Alright, sir. Question naman po galing kay Bernard Taguinod. Sabi niya, magbibigay po ba ng BOI report ang gobyerno sa MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) ukol sa naganap na Mamasapano incident?

SEC. COLOMA: Sa atin pong pagkabatid ‘yon namang Board of Inquiry report ay isasapubliko at hindi naman kailangang humingi pa ng partikular na kopya ang mga grupo o indibidwal dahil isasapubliko po ito at ilalathala nang malawakan.

Mr. Sebastian: Alright, sir, in relation na rin diyan. Nagpahayag ang MILF na parang summary o executive summary lang daw ang ilalabas nila at ibibigay na kopya sa pamahalaan po.

SEC. COLOMA: Patuloy na itinataguyod ng pamahalaan ang pagtamo ng katarungan para sa PNP (Philippine National Police) SAF 44 sa pamamagitan ng pagbatid ng katotohanan hinggil sa buong kaganapan sa Mamasapano noong Enero 24 at 25. Ayon po kay Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Teresita Deles, ito po ang kanyang pahayag: “On the submission of the MILF report to Malaysia, the understanding of the Government of the Philippines panel is that MILF will submit the report to the International Monitoring Team (IMT). This is simply a matter of protocol, that the respective ceasefire committees submit all reports to the IMT, which then passes it on to the other party. It appears that the MILF wants to show respect for and strengthen the ceasefire institution by using the ceasefire mechanisms and protocols in this regard. This is in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and the operational guidelines, which have been signed by the parties.”

Dagdag pa po na pahayag ni Secretary Deles, “providing only an executive summary of the MILF report to the Government of the Philippines”—hinggil po doon sa paksang ‘yon—“the reality is that the power of and responsibility for law enforcement belongs solely to the government. Government of the Philippines through DOJ will do case buildup and pursue justice through Philippine courts based on its own findings. Justice will be pursued with or without MILF inputs.” ‘Yon po ang end of quotation.

Para po sa kaliwanagan, ulitin po natin sa wikang Pilipino. Hinggil sa pagsusumite ng MILF ng report sa Malaysia, ang pagkaunawa po ng ating Government of the Philippines panel ay ito—ayon kay Secretary Deles—isusumite ang report na ito ng MILF sa International Monitoring Team (IMT) at ito ay isang matter of protocol na kung saan ‘yung mga ceasefire committees ay nagsusumite ng kanilang report sa IMT at ‘yung IMT naman po ang magpapasa ‘non sa kabilang partido. Kaya ang pagkaunawa po natin dito, pagka-submit sa IMT ay ipapasa lang ng IMT ‘yon sa kabilang partido na Philippine panel naman at ito ay bilang pagtalima doon sa mga ceasefire mechanism at protocol na nakasaad sa ceasefire agreement na pinagkasunduan ng magkabilang partido.

Doon naman sa aspeto na ang ibibigay lang daw ng MILF sa Givernment of the Philippines ay executive summary, ito po ang posisyon ng pamahalaan: Ang kapangyarihan at responsibilidad para sa pagpapatupad ng batas ng republika ay isasagawa ng pamahalaan. Ang pamahalaan lang po ng republika ang mayroong natatanging kapangyarihan at responsibilidad para dito. Kaya po sa kasalukuyan ang ating pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng DOJ ay nagsasagawa na ng case buildup at isusulong po ang hustisya sa pamamagitan ng mga hukuman ng Pilipinas batay sa findings ng DOJ at ng Government of the Philippines. Ang katarungan po ay itataguyod nang puspusan at hanggang makumpleto po ang prosesong ito kung nagbigay man o hindi man nagbigay ng input ng MILF. Sana po ay maliwanag na ang ating paglalahad.

Mr. Montano: Opo. Maraming salamat po at malinaw po ‘yang naihayag niyo at may katanungan din pa po itong si Junry Hidalgo. Babasahin po ni Ka Albert although sa ibang topic po ito.

Mr. Sebastian: Alright, sir, question po ni Junry. Ano po ang mababanggit ninyo sa inihain ng mga taga-Bulacan na sumusuporta sa recall election laban kay Governor (Wilhelmino) Alvarado? Sabi nila binabantaan na sila. Kung hindi babawiin ang lagda sa petisyon ay tatanggalin sa listahan ng CCT (conditional cash transfer) program.

SEC. COLOMA: ‘Yon pong sistema ng recall ay ayon sa batas at ang posisyon po natin diyan kailangan pairalin ang proseso nang naaayon sa batas. Wala pong panghihimasok ang pambansang pamahalaan diyan at hindi dapat gamitin ‘yung mga ganyang alegasyon dahil ‘yong pagpapatupad ng mga poverty reduction and social amelioration program katulad ng conditional cash transfer ay wala pong bahid pampulitika.

Mr. Sebastian: Alright, sir, another question from Junry—ibang topic naman po—sabi niya, katanggap-tanggap po ba sa Palasyo ang pahayag ni Vice President (Jejomar) Binay na may bahid pulitika ang pagsasampa sa kanya ng mga kaso ng special panel ng Ombudsman patungkol sa umano’y mga maanomalyang proyekto sa Makati City? Sa kabila nito, may plano ba si PNoy na sibakin na si Vice President Binay sa puwesto?

SEC. COLOMA: Wala po tayong impormasyon hinggil doon sa ikalawang bahagi, ‘yung sa posisyon ni Vice President sa Gabinete. ‘Yung tungkol naman sa pahayag, tayo po ay kumikilala sa pagiging independent constitutional body ng Office of the Ombudsman at hindi po nanghihimasok ang pamahalaan sa mga proseso ng Office of the Ombudsman.

Mr. Sebastian: Alright, sir, thank you.

Mr. Montano: Wala na po yatang question dito, maliban doon sa ano po, ‘yung preparasyon naman ng pamahalaan dito sa sinasabing El Niño phenomenon na tinatayang magaganap middle of the year?

SEC. COLOMA: Katulad noong nakaraang taon na kung saan ay nagkaroon o umamba ‘yung banta—o nakaamba ‘yung banta ng El Niño ay pinaghahandaan po ng iba’t ibang ahensya ng pamahalaan. Isa nga sa mga pangunahing ahensya diyan ay ‘yung Department of Science and Technology sa pamamagitan ng PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) na gumagamit na po ng mga modernong teknolohiya para mabatid kung mayroon nang mga pagbabago sa kondisyon ng panahon na magbibigay ng indikasyon hinggil sa pagsapit ng El Niño o La Niña. Isa pa rin po sa naghahanda ay ‘yung Department of Agriculture dahil nga po ‘yung epekto nito ay magiging mahalaga sa ating mga magsasaka na umaasa sa panahon, sa ganda ng panahon para sa kanilang schedule ng pagtatanim at pag-ani ng mga naitanim. Kaya ito po ay tinututukan ng ating pamahalaan.

Mayroon din po itong epekto sa energy supply, partikular sa Mindanao, dahil malaking bahagi ng atin pong power supply sa Mindanao ay hinahatid ng mga hydroelectric power plants. Kaya kung magkakaroon po ng tagtuyot ay dapat na mapaghandaan para maibsan ‘yung kakulangan ng suplay ng kuryente. Kaya makakaasa po ang mga mamamayan na pinaghahandaan po ‘yan ng lahat ng ahensya ng pamahalaan na may kinalaman sa magiging epekto nito sa mga mamamayan.

Mr. Montano: Wala na po yatang katanungan mula sa Sunday group ng Malacañang Press Corps. ‘Yung parting message po natin sa bayan at dito sa mga kasamahan natin sa Sunday group ng Malacañang Press Corps.

SEC. COLOMA: Siguro Efren ay papara na tayo dito dahil mahaba-haba na rin naman ang ating naipahayag at naging talakayan. Kung mayroon pang mga karagdagang tanong ang mga kagawad ng Malacañang Press Corps ay maaari namang maiparating sa atin sa pamamagitan ng pangkaraniwang paraan na batid na po nila at tayo naman ay tutugon sa lalong madaling panahon.

*****

SOURCE: Presidential News Desk (PND)

[HOME]

INTERVIEW OF COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY HERMINIO COLOMA, JR.

DWIZ / Todong Nationwide Talakayan by A. Taliping & R. Gonzalo

08 March 2015

SEC. COLOMA: Magandang umaga sa inyo, Aileen at Lakay. Binabati ko especially si Aileen sa pagdiriwang ng International Women’s Day.

TALIPING: Thank you, sir. Salamat po. Salamat.

GONZALO: Siguro isang reaction muna dito sa nangyayaring sympathy walk with the widows o tawag nila ay Walk for a Cause, Rally with the Widows—ang dami nilang tawag dito – Unity Walk and Run, Sympathy for our Heroes—diyan sa Kampo Crame. Ang kuwento kasi nito ay hindi sila binigyan ng permit, ‘di ba, Aileen?

TALIPING: Oo.

GONZALO: At ang sinasabi ni General Rentoy ay wala naman daw sa kanilang hanay ang magsisigaw na ‘PNoy, resign’ Kaya’t masyado raw kayong—anong terminong ginagamit?—masyado kayong ninenerbyos diyan sa Malacañang, Secretary? Any reaction?

SEC. COLOMA: Nakikiisa po tayo sa lahat ng mga nagpapahayag ng simpatiya sa mga naulila ng ating SAF44. At patuloy din po ang pakikiisa natin sa lahat ng mga sinasagawang pagsisiyasat para malaman ang buong katotohanan at magawaran po sila ng hustisiya.

TALIPING: Sir, may nagtanong kasi kahapon doon sa interview sa kabilang istasyon, kung meron daw po bang kamay iyong Malacañang doon sa hindi sumama iyong Camp Crame Charter ng PNPA doon sa kanilang lakad. Kasi ngayon, iyon yata iyong lumalabas na isyu ngayon na kaya nagkaroon nang konting problema. Hindi na tumuloy eh, parang misa na lang ang gagawin ngayon at konting activity. Magsasalita lang iyong mga grupong nag-unity walk, and then go home, balik sila sa Cavite. Ang tanong, sir, kasi na-pressure daw po iyong isang opisyal diyan sa Kampo Crame, sa tingin ninyo po kanino nanggaling iyong pressure?

SEC. COLOMA: Wala po kaming nalalaman hinggil diyan dahil ang posisyon po namin ay iyong pagbibigay laya sa lahat ng mga nais magpahayag ng kanilang saloobin.

GONZALO: Speaking of pagbibigay laya, Secretary, ‘di ba dapat bigyan laya nga, kasi bakit binawi iyong permit ‘no? Parang ang sinasabi tuloy nitong mga rally leaders ay parang sinasagkaan iyong kanilang kalayaan ng pamamahayag, kalayaan ng pagtitipun-tipon. Hindi rin natin sila masisi na ganoon ang kanilang mga sentimiyento, Secretary?

SEC. COLOMA: Iyon pong nagbibigay ng permit ay iyong lokal na pamahalaan. Alamin na lang po natin baka meron naman po silang dahilan. Pero wala po kaming partisipasyon sa pagdi-deny ng permit.

GONZALO: Ang isa po sa kanilang pinupunto ay baka raw mahaluan ng mga militante, mga kaliwa – haluan ng kaliwa, haluan ng militante. Iba ang tono nitong mga militante kaysa sa pangkalahatang sentimiyento nitong mga rally organizers.

TALIPING: At saka iyong term na rin nila na oportunista, mga oportunistang grupo.

GONZALO: Oo. Pero nandudoon na kanina, ‘di ba? Nakausap na nga ng anchor natin si Luz Ilagan ng GABRIELA. Anyway, iyon naman ay desisyon actually ng Quezon City, ‘di ba, Aileen?

TALIPING: Oo.

GONZALO: Quezon City ang dapat na magbigay ng permit kasi ang activity dapat ay nasa Quezon City Circle. Ngayon, sa loob ng Kampo Crame dapat pero binawi rin kaya’t—nasaan na ba sila ngayon? Nasa kalsada sila ngayon, ‘di ba, tama?

TALIPING: Nasa labas lang.

GONZALO: So, let’s leave it just like that. Anong magagawa natin, ‘di ba?

TALIPING: Sir, iyong biyuda ng ilang SAF44 po, humihingi sila ng justice sa bansa kasi parang 40 days na raw ay wala pa silang naririnig kung ano na ang development. Kasi ang narinig nila ay puro imbestigasyon, pero hanggang ngayon ay wala pa ring napapanagot doon sa pagkamatay ng kanilang mga kapamilya.

SEC. COLOMA: Kaya nga hinihintay natin, Aileen, iyong paglalahad ng buong ulat ng Senate Committee na nag-imbestiga diyan at pati rin iyong buong ulat ng Board of Inquiry. Sa atin pong nabatid ay baka sa darating na linggo ay mailahad na ang mga ulat na iyan.

TALIPING: This coming week, Secretary?

SEC. COLOMA: Iyon iyong ating natunghayan na pahayag ni Senator Poe at ng PNP hinggil sa paglabas ng kanilang Board of Inquiry report.

GONZALO: Ano naman ang masasabi ninyo doon sa naunang statement ng chairman ng MILF negotiation committee, si Mohagher Iqbal, na—tama ba iyon, sa Malaysia nila ibibigay iyong report, hindi muna sa atin? Ano ang take ninyo dito, Secretary?

SEC. COLOMA: Iyon ang kanilang pag-unawa sa probisyon ng kasalukuyang kasunduan sa pagitan ng MILF at ng Philippine government na ito ay dapat idaan muna sa Malaysia bilang facilitator ng peace process. Pero ayon naman sa kanila ay handa naman silang magbigay ng kopya ng executive summary ng ulat na ito.

GONZALO: Hindi kaya ang mangyayari dito, Secretary, paiba-iba ang labas nitong mga investigating bodies -- meron DOJ, may NBI, mayroong Senado, may Kongreso, may Board of inquiry, may Ombudsman pa. Meron pa silang sinasabing dapat ay may bubuuin na truth commission. Lalong ano eh, kumbaga parang lalong gugulo ang resulta nitong inaantabayanan nating dulo ng lahat ng mga pagtatanong tungkol sa Mamasapano encounter, Secretary?

SEC. COLOMA: Mainam siguro, Lakay, na bigyan muna sila ng pagkakataon na mailabas iyong kanilang report. Hindi naman makatuwiran na maghuhusga tayo, ‘di pa naman natin nakita ang produkto ng kanilang isinagawa. Marami naman po sa ating mga kababayan na natunghayan ang pagsasagawa ng Senate investigation. Marami na rin pong nailahad na ulat sa mga pahayagan. May mga investigative reports din na lumabas. Nananalig naman po tayo sa katalinuhan at sa sense of fairness ng ating mga mamamayan na bibigyan naman nila ng pagkakataon na matunghayan lahat itong mga ulat na ito.

GONZALO: Secretary, meron kayong Facebook, hindi ba?

SEC. COLOMA: Wala po akong Facebook.

GONZALO: (Laughs) Uurutin sana kita. Kasi iyong mga so-called bashers, detractors ng Malacañang, gusto ko sanang minsan sagutin sila eh, ‘di ba.

SEC. COLOMA: Minsan ho meron akong nabalitaan na isa kong kakilala ay nagshi-share ng mga lumalabas sa Facebook. At tinext ko siya dahil meron naman akong contact sa kaniya, by text and by phone. Sabi ko, puwede kong ma-clarify sa’yo iyong mga shini-share mo para mabatid ko naman kung ano iyong background talaga niyan. At sabi ko nga, mas okay kasi kung bago tayo mag-share, alamin natin kung totoo o hindi dahil hindi naman makatuwiran na nagshi-share tayo ng mga bagay na batay lang naman sa intriga, sa ispekulasyon o sa mga haka-haka lamang. Ang sagot naman niya, ‘Sorry, sige simula sa ngayon, iyon lang naberipika kong personal ang aking ishi-share.’ Sabi ko, maraming salamat at binibigyan mo naman ng pagkakataon ang pamahalaan.

GONZALO: Sabagay po, Secretary, napaka-busy ninyo, baka maubos ang oras ninyo sa pagsasagot sa Facebook. Ako naman, sa akin naman ay huwag lang hayaang si Presidential Sister Kris ang sumasagot sa mga bashers at saka iyong mga detractors ‘no. Gusto ko sana mayroon ding palasagot sa inyo diyan sa Malacañang. ‘Di ninyo na ba po puwedeng i-assign diyan sa isang staff ninyo, halimbawa? (Laughs)

SEC. COLOMA: Mayroon naman tayong New Media Unit, Lakay, na tumututok, nagmo-monitor ng mga naipapahayag na saloobin sa social media.

GONZALO: Oo, alam ko iyon. May monitoring kayo pero siyempre, iba rin iyong mga tagasagot sana eh. Kaya lang siguro ayaw na ni Usec., si Ganda Abigail, na sumagot kasi minsan sumagot ay kinuyog siya.

TALIPING: Ah, iyong sa Twitter.
GONZALO: Oo, sa Twitter.

SEC. COLOMA: Basta ang mahalaga, Aileen at Lakay, iyong maging makatotohanan lang tayo sa lahat ng ating mga pahayag. At hindi naman natin tinatatwa na maaaring mayroon o maraming hindi sumasang-ayon, kasama naman iyan sa pagiging masigla ng isang demokrasya.

GONZALO: Oo naman.

SEC. COLOMA: Basta lang iyong hindi natin pagkakapareho ng opinyon ay batay sa totoong impormasyon at hindi tayo nalilinlang. Ayos lang naman iyon ‘no, iyan naman ay senyas na isang masiglang demokrasya.

GONZALO: Okay. Secretary, puwede bang magtanong, anong activity ni Presidente ngayon? It’s a Sunday. Normally on a Sunday, nagpapahinga ang Presidente.

SEC. COLOMA: Usually po ay private time naman ng Pangulo ito ‘no. Usually ay mayroon silang mga family activities.

TALIPING: Iyong next week niya, Secretary, medyo magiging busy ba ang Presidente?

SEC. COLOMA: Hindi ko pa natutunghayan iyong kaniyang schedule, Aileen.

TALIPING: Okay po.

SEC. COLOMA: Usually, Monday ay mayroong preview na binibigay iyan doon sa press briefing natin.

TALIPING: Opo.

GONZALO: How is the President taking all these things, Secretary, iyong mga panawagan na hindi maputul-putol, dumadami ang mga grupo na kung anu-anong mga sinisigaw nila? Iyong kahapon—ano ba iyong kahapon, Aileen?

TALIPING: Day off ko kahapon. (Laughs)

GONZALO: May bagong grupo nanaman na, “Bangon, Resign NoyNoy Now,” parang ganoon. Ewan ko, dumadami. Parang mga rebelde sa Mindanao – dumadami, nanganganak.

TALIPING: Oo, parang kabute lang iyan.

GONZALO: Oo. Ang sabi ko nga, ang tanong ko nga, Secretary, how is the President taking all these things?

SEC. COLOMA: With equanimity and objectivity, Lakay.

GONZALO: Iyon! Ikaw na kapwa ko Ilokano, kapwa namin Ilokano ni Aileen, napakagaling mo sa Tagalog eh.

SEC. COLOMA: (Laughs).

GONZALO: Ano ba Tagalog niyan, eksaktong Tagalog nang binanggit ninyo na iyan, sir? Equanimity—

SEC. COLOMA: Mahirap iyan i-Tagalog. (Laughs) Sabihin na lang natin na mahinahon naman ang Pangulo, at hindi naman natitinag iyong kaniyang determinasyon na ipatupad ang mga repormang nasimulan na at ihatid iyong mahusay na serbisyo sa kaniyang mga boss – ang mga mamamayang Pilipino. Hindi po natitinag iyon at patuloy siyang nagpopokus sa trabaho ng pamahalaan.

GONZALO: Isa sa mga tanong, sir, ng general public: Bakit ang Pangulo ay nagtatagal sa pag-a-appoint ng mga opisyal sa iba’t ibang mga ahensiya ng gobyerno? Nalaman ko noong Linggo, nalaman natin, Aileen, kasi guest natin dito iyong taga-Bureau of Fire Protection Spokesman.

TALIPING: Oo.

GONZALO: Pati pala sa Bureau of Fire Protection, OIC pa rin hanggang ngayon. So, maraming mga ahensiya na in the same situation, Secretary, lalo na iyong … importanteng-importante iyong PNP at saka iyong Commission on Elections. Mag-e-eleksiyon na tayo, Secretary.

SEC. COLOMA: Inaasikaso po iyan ‘no. At kilalanin lang natin na mahalaga ang mga posisyong nabakante at kinakailangan din namang maging masusi ang pag-aaral sa mga kuwalipikasyon ng mga nominado. Huwag po tayong mag-aalala at ginagampanan ng Pangulo ang nararapat hinggil diyan, at hindi na po magtatagal at iaanunsiyo na kung sino ang mga napili para pumalit sa mga nagretiro.

GONZALO: Okay. Iyong panawagan ni Senator Serge Osmeña na “Sorry” out na iyon, wala na iyon? Hindi na natin pinag-uusapan iyon?

SEC. COLOMA: Kung maaalala natin, Aileen at Lakay, noong February 6 ay nagtalumpati ang Pangulo on nationwide television. Malinaw po ang sinabi ng Pangulo doon, “Ako ang ama ng bayan. Anak ko iyong apatnapu’t apat na namatay. Dadalhin ko sa aking hukay ang responsibilidad sa naganap sa Mamasapano.” Malinaw na po iyong deklarasyon ng ating Pangulo hinggil diyan. Kinikilala po niya na siya ay iyong may ultimong responsibilidad sa lahat ng naganap doon sa misyon na iyon. Kaya hindi naman po dapat sabihin na hindi niya kinikilala iyong kaniyang responsibilidad. February 6 pa po pinahayag ng Pangulo iyan.

GONZALO: Kinikilala niya; iba lang iyong sistema ng pagkilala niya, ‘di ba? Parang short of saying “I’m sorry” din, Secretary, tama ba?

SEC. COLOMA: Nasa atin na pong pagpapasya iyon kung paano natin gustong tanggapin o unawain iyong kaniyang sinabi. Sa akin pong pagtanggap at pag-unawa, sapat na po iyong sinabi niyang iyon.

GONZALO: All right. Ilan taon pa tayo, Aileen? Fourteen months? Fifteen months?

TALIPING: Fifteen.

GONZALO: Puwede ba bigyan niyo kami, Secretary, ng mga malalaki pang mga programa, mga proyekto siguro na tatapusin ng Presidente before his term ends? Interesado ako dito sa—kasi pare-parehas tayong dumadaan dito eh—SCTEX, TPLEX.

SEC. COLOMA: Maraming pong mga nakasalang pa na malalaking infrastructure pojects na inaprubahan ng NEDA nitong kasalukuyang administrasyon. Nandiyan po iyong pagtatapos ng SCTEX, TPLEX. Iyong widening po ‘no ng mga highway na ito dahil kapaki-pakinabang para sa maraming mamamayan. Nandiyan din iyong—

GONZALO: Hanggang saan po sa La Union, Secretary?

SEC. COLOMA: Rosario, La Union. Hanggang doon sa ibaba na ng Kennon Road at iyong Naguilian Road.

GONZALO: Eh di napakalapit na ng Baguio niyan?

TALIPING: Mahaba-haba.

GONZALO: Tsaka malapit-lapit na ang Ilocos diyan, Secretary?

SEC. COLOMA: Meron ding isang major project na Laguna Lakeshore Expressway. Ito ay 47-kilometer na highway mula Taguig hanggang Los Baños, Laguna; ang babaybayin ay iyong Laguna de Bay. Kaya malaki pong pagbabago ang pwede nating maasahan tungo sa pagpapaunlad ng mga lakeshore towns natin kapag natapos po ang proyekto.

GONZALO: Tinitiyak ninyo na matatapos ito before the term of the President ends, ganoon ba?

SEC. COLOMA: Hindi naman po, 47 kilometers po iyon.

GONZALO: Oo nga eh.

TALIPING: So, itutuloy na iyan siguro.

SEC. COLOMA: Uumpisahan na ito ‘no sa late 2015, early 2016.

GONZALO: [Ang] Importante [ay] maumpisahan.

SEC. COLOMA: Maumpisahan na. At saka malaking proyektong ito ‘no na lahat halos ng mga malalaking business groups sa ating bansa ay naghahanda para sa bidding nito ‘no dahil kinikilala nila ang kahalagahan nito.

TALIPING: Sir, may mga nakita tayong lumabas sa mga pahayagan. Iyong airport medyo pinupuri nila, iyong NAIA, parang bagong hilamos daw. So, inaasahan natin na magtuluy-tuloy na itong renovation nito. Dati kung nakakatanggap tayo ng mga rating na worst airport, sa ngayon dahil nakikita na nila iyong pagbabago, aasahan pa ba natin na magbabago na rin iyong rating na ibibigay nila?

SEC. COLOMA: Kahapon lang, Aileen at Lakay, ay nasa Terminal 1 ako kasi hinatid ko iyong aking anak na bumiyahe, at kitang-kita naman doon iyong malaking pagbabago na naganap na, bagama’t hindi pa tapos iyong renovation na isinagawa.

TALIPING: Oo.

SEC. COLOMA: Unang-una ay malamig na malamig na iyong aircon; pangalawa ay napalitan na iyong kisame at pati flooring. At kapag nakita natin iyong mga tapos ng lugar ay talaga namang mas maaliwalas. Bukod pa riyan ay nai-relocate na kasi sa Terminal 3 iyong mga ibang malalaking airlines na maraming pasahero katulad ng Cathay Pacific, Delta, Singapore Airlines at iyong Emirates, kaya’t maluwag-luwag na ang itsura ng ating Terminal 1.

TALIPING: Wala na iyong mahabang pila, sir?

SEC. COLOMA: Hindi ako nakakita ng ganoon. Mahaba pa rin iyong pila pero maayos naman iyong daloy ng mga tao.

TALIPING: Maayos.

SEC. COLOMA: At bukod pa riyan, doon sa paligid ng ating airport ay makikita na rin natin nabubuo na iyong porma ng NAIA Expressway na magpa-facilitate ng ingress at egress sa ating mga airport. Inaasahan nating magagamit na ito sa APEC leaders summit sa darating na Nobyembre.

TALIPING: Okay. Sir, how about iyong NAIA Terminal 3, sir, kasi parang hindi pa gumagana hanggang ngayon iyong mga CCTV nila?

SEC. COLOMA: Patuloy pa rin iyong pagpapahusay ng mga pasilidad diyan para makumpleto na iyong serbisyo, Aileen.

TALIPING: Okay, sir.

GONZALO: Iyong CCTV, wala pa yata?

TALIPING: Oo, sa Terminal 3. Kasi alam ko may problema iyong Takenaka.

GONZALO: Okay, Secretary. Ang advisory sa amin dito ay hanggang alas siyete-kinse ka lang na makakakwentuhan namin, ah alas siyete bente-siyete na.

SEC. COLOMA: Okay lang naman at kawili-wili naman ang ating pakikipag-usap.

GONZALO: Iyan ang gusto ko kay Secretary. Sa lahat ng mga Ilokano na spokesperson ay ito ang pinakamahusay na mag-Tagalog.

TALIPING; Sir, may last na lang po pala akong tanong.

SEC. COLOMA: Sige, Aileen.

TALIPING: Iyong pamilya ng inay na nahatulan ng bitay sa Indonesia, huhingi na po ng tulong sa gobyerno?

SEC. COLOMA: Patuloy naman iyong pakikipag-ugnayan ng ating Department of Foreign Affairs sa pamamagitan ng ating embahada sa Indonesia, sa mga awtoridad upang ma-review iyong kasong iyon at magawaran naman ng katarungan iyong ating kababayan. Hindi po nagkukulang sa pagtutok sa kasong iyan ang ating pamhalaan.

TALIPING: Okay. Thank you, sir.

GONZALO: Thank you, sir. Enjoy your weekend.

SEC. COLOMA: Maraming salamat at magandang umaga sa inyo, Aileen at Lakay.

SOURCE: News Information Bureau - Data Processing Center

[HOME]

Last Updated: 06 MARCH 2015
Alternative photo archive with high resolutions
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			Delegates attending the APEC Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting in Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay City, Cavite gather for a group photo at the hotel's open terrace overlooking Taal Volcano on Thursday (March 5).

			President Benigno S. Aquino III graces the Assumption of Command Ceremony of Philippine National Police-Special Action Force at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City on Wednesday (March 04). Also in photo are PNP-SAF OIC P/CSupt. Noli Taliño, Deputy General Marcelo Garbo Jr, chief of the PNP directorial staff, PNP Deputy Chief for Operation and OIC Chief PDDG Leonardo Espina and Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II. (Photo by Ryan Lim / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III graces the Assumption of Command Ceremony of Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City on Wednesday (March 04). Also in photo is Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II. (Photo by Ryan Lim / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III is introduced to PNP-SAF OIC P/CSupt. Noli Taliño (second from left) by the newly newly installed PNP-SAF Director Chief Superintendent Moro Virgilio Lazo (left), as Deputy General Marcelo Garbo Jr, chief of the PNP directorial staff, OIC Chief PDDG Leonardo Espina and DILG Sec. Mar Roxas look on during the Assumption of Command Ceremony of Philippine National Police-Special Action Force at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City on Wednesday (March 04). Lazo is a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Maharlika” Class of 1984. (Photo by Gil Nartea / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III congratulates the newly installed PNP-SAF Director Chief Superintendent Moro Virgilio Lazo as PNP-SAF OIC P/CSupt. Noli Taliño (left) and PNP Deputy Chief for Operation, OIC Chief PDDG Leonardo Espina and DILG Sec. Mar Roxas look on during the Assumption of Command Ceremony of Philippine National Police-Special Action Force at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City on Wednesday (March 04). Lazo is a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Maharlika” Class of 1984. (Photo by Gil Nartea / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			Group Photo Caption: Delegates from APEC member-economies, and multilateral and international institutions gather in Tagaytay City, Philippines for the 2015 Asia-Pacific Forum on Financial Inclusion. The Forum, which runs from 3-4 March 2015, seeks to discuss initiatives that may push forward the agenda of making financial products and services accessible to a wider range of people across the Asia-Pacific Region.

			President Benigno S. Aquino III bids farewell to The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta Fra’ Matthew Festing during the Departure Honors at the Malacañan Palace Main Lobby on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Lauro Montellano, Jr./ Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III and The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta Fra’ Matthew Festing troop the line during the Departure Honors at the Malacañan Palace Main Lobby on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Lauro Montellano, Jr. / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III bids farewell to The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta Fra’ Matthew Festing during the Departure Honors at the Malacañan Palace Main Lobby on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Gil Nartea / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III and The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta Fra’ Matthew Festing troop the line during the Departure Honors at the Malacañan Palace Main Lobby on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Gil Nartea / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III confers the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Raja (Grand Collar) on The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta Fra’ Matthew Festing at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañan Palace during the Official Visit to the Philippines on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Lauro Montellano, Jr. / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III receives from The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and the Sovereign Order of Malta Fra’ Matthew Festing the symbolic key of 700 newly constructed houses in Basey, Samar and Bantayan Island, Cebu donated by the Sovereign Order of Malta during the ceremonial turn-over at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañan Palace for the Official Visit to the Philippines on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Lauro Montellano, Jr. / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III shakes hands with The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing during the courtesy call at the Music Room of the Malacañan Palace for the Official Visit to the Philippines on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Lauro Montellano, Jr. / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III witnesses The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing sign the Palace Guest Book at the Reception Hall of the Malacañan Palace during the Official Visit to the Philippines on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Lauro Montellano, Jr. / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III and The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing lead the ceremonial toasts during the Official Luncheon at the President’s Hall of the Malacañan Palace for the Official Visit to the Philippines on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Benhur Arcayan / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III listens as The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing delivers his message during the Official Luncheon at the President’s Hall of the Malacañan Palace for the Official Visit to the Philippines on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Benhur Arcayan / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III and The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and the Sovereign Order of Malta, Fra’ Matthew Festing arrive for the official luncheon at the President’s Hall of the Malacañan Palace during the Official Visit to the Philippines of on Tuesday(March 03). (Photo by Benhur Arcayan / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of the Sovereign Order of Malta) Fra’ Matthew Festing delivers his remarks during the joint press statement with President Benigno S. Aquino III at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañan Palace for the Official Visit to the Philippines on Tuesday(March 03). (Photo by Benhur Arcayan / Lauro Montellano, Jr. / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III and Prince and Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing of the Sovereign Order of Malta share a light moment following the conferment ceremony at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañan Palace during the Official Visit to the Philippines on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Benhur Arcayan / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III listens as The Prince and Grand Master Fra’ Matthew Festing of the Sovereign Order of Malta delivers his message during the Official Luncheon at the President’s Hall of the Malacañan Palace for the Official Visit to the Philippines on Tuesday (March 03). (Photo by Gil Nartea / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

			President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his message during the Official Luncheon at the President’s Hall of the Malacañan Palace for the Official Visit to the Philippines of The Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of the Sovereign Order of Malta Fra’ Matthew Festing on Tuesday (March 03). This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and SOM. (Photo by Gil Nartea / Malacañang Photo Bureau)

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PIA News Desk

2 hrs ·

‪#‎PNP‬ gets P2.83-B ‪#‎fund‬ for facilities, equipment
http://t.co/fuEJ7aepsS

PIA | PNP gets P2.83-B fund for facilities, equipment

MANILA, March 10 -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) gets boost for the improvement of the police force’s infrastructure, facilities, and equipment with the release of P2.83 billion by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

NEWS.PIA.GOV.PH

PIAQuezon

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Dispatch for March 10 , 2014 ( Tuesday) , 8 PIA Calabarzon PRs , 2 Weather Watch , 6 OFW Watch , 1 PNOY Speech ,3 Interview with Sec. Coloma, 20 Online News , 21 Photonews (Mar. 6 )

Dost_pagasa added 2 new photos.

Weather Watch

PIA OFW Watch

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PIA OFW Watch

PIA OFW Watch

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