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1. 24-Hour Public Weather Forecast
Issued at 5:00 a.m., 24 September 2014
Valid beginning: 5:00 a.m. today until 5:00 a.m. tomorrow
Predicted Mean Sea Level Pressure
Analysis for 8 a.m., 24 September 2014 |
Predicted Mean Sea Level Wind
Analysis for 8 a.m., 24 September 2014 |
Satellite Image
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Synopsis:
Ridge of High Pressure Area (HPA) affecting Northern Luzon.
Forecast:
The whole archipelago will be partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.
Moderate to occasionally strong winds blowing from the east to
southeast will prevail over Northern Luzon and the coastal waters along
these areas will be moderate to occasionally rough. Winds will be light
to moderate coming from the east to northeast over the rest of Luzon and
from the southwest to west over Visayas and Mindanao with slight to
moderate seas.
Bottom of Form
ABS-CBN:
Maaliwalas ang panahon na inaasahan sa malaking bahagi ng bansa sa mga susunod
na araw. Sa Metro Manila magiging mas maulap ng kaunti ang panahon bukas pero
pagdating ng Huwebes at Biyernes asahan muli ang maaraw na panahon.
Maganda-ganda naman ang magiging panahon sa ibang lugar kagaya ng Tuguegarao,
Aurora at Quezon. Maging handa pa rin sa isolated rains at thunderstorms. Sa
Visayas asahan ang medyo mainit na panahon sa Boracay, Cebu at sa silangang
bahagi, sa Mindanao makulimlim sa Davao, mas maaraw sa Zamboanga at Cagayan De
Oro. Sa Sultan Kudarat naman magiging maulan ang panahon bukas.
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September 24 ,
2014 ( Wednesday ) as of 6:00-7:00 AM
CAVITE : Sunny
LAGUNA : Sunny
BATANGAS : Sunny
RIZAL : Sunny
QUEZON
: Sunny
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PIA-4A/BATANGAS:
Mahigit 200 residente mula sa Brgy. Coral ni Lopez sa bayan ng Calaca
ang nakinabang sa isinagawang medical mission ng Philippine Air
Force-Air Education Training Command na layong makatulong sa mahihirap
na residente ng naturang barangay.
PIA-4A/BATANGAS:
Sinuri ng DPWH ang Calumpang Bridge sa lungsod ng Batangas upang
masiguro ang kalidad nito at mga dapat isaalang-alang sa pagpapagawa
nito upang maiwasan ang muling pagkasira.
PIA-4A/CAVITE:
The provincial government has distributed a total of P14,274,000
quarterly (1st & 2nd quarters) allowance to 2,379 barangay health
workers (BHW) in the province. Each BHW received a total of P6,000 for
the two quarters in recognition for their valuable contribution in
bringing health care services in the community.
PIA-4A/CALAMBA
CITY: The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
Region 4A announced that in every district in Calabarzon, they allotted
242 slots for community-based trainings like dressmaking, beauty
culture, automotive, install wiring, cellphone repair, and others which
non-high school graduates can avail. After completing the training, the
beneficiary will be issued with a certificate of competency (COC), TESDA
Region 4A said.
PIA-4A/CALAMBA
CITY: The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has already
launched the municipalites of Angono in Rizal, San Francisco, San
Andres, and Mulanay in Quezon as child-labor free municipalities while
San Narcisco, also in Quezon is scheduled for launching. Moreover, DOLE
Region 4A is targeting to declare 56 barangays in the different
municipalities in Calabarzon this year.
PIA
4A/BATANGAS: Patuloy ang pagbibigay ng libreng bakuna kontra tigdas ng
Municipal Health Office ng Balayan kung saan apat na barangay na lamang
ang hindi pa nabibisita ng kanilang tanggapan. Sa kanilang tala, nasa
5,000 kabataan na ang nabigyan ng naturang bakuna.
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OFW Watch
DZRH:
Pinag-aaralan na ng DFA kung kailangan nang magpatupad ng repatriation
sa Syria. Ito ay kasunod ng paglulunsad ng airstrike sa naturang bansa
dahil naman sa grupong ISIS.
Rommel Madap, OFW in Sierra Leone on DZMM:
-Noong August 6 ako umuwi dito sa Pilipinas kasama ang kapatid ko. Dapat noong August 26 nakabalik na kami ng Sierra Leone.
-Maintenance worker po ako sa minahan doon. Every 2 months po ang uwi namin dito at may kontrata po kami.
-Pinakita namin lahat ng dokumento pero ang sabi, hindi raw po kami
allowed na bumalik doon. Wala po silang pakialam sa mga dokumentong
pinapakita namin at sabi may instruction daw sa kanila na huwag payagan (na makaaalis).
-18 katao kami. Ilang beses na kaming nag-attempt na umalis dahil ang alam namin hindi kami saklaw ng deployment ban.
-May mga kasamahan kami doon sa Sierra Leone na ayaw ng umuwi dito kasi baka hindi sila makabalik.
-Sana po may programa sila (gov't) sa amin sa mga ganitong sitwasyon. Paano kung matatambay kami dito?
-Patuloy kaming tinatawagan ng company namin para bumalik doon.
-Wala naman kaming mapasukan dito.
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(NEW YORK, New York) President Benigno S.
Aquino III called for a global coordinated effort to address climate change
noting that with the changing climate, both big and small nations become
vulnerable to its ill effects.
"The choice before us, then, is clear: Together we must face these
challenges and surmount them, or together we will suffer the consequences
of inaction," the President said in his speech at the United Nations
Climate Change Summit on Tuesday at the UN headquarters here.
Nations should not engage in another protracted debate over the individual
commitments of countries, he said adding it would be a wrong framework to
address the issue.
"Instead, everyone here has to do everything they can to address
climate change, without first waiting for their neighbors to engage in
action," he said. "Doing anything less leaves the problem
unattended, too, thereby increasing the problem we all face."
Although not a major emitter, the Philippines is not waiting for other
nations to act first, he said.
The country has been addressing climate change to the maximum with its
limited resources. Legislation has been enacted to lessen the impact of
disasters by adopting a comprehensive approach to disaster response, the
President said.
The government has also improved its weather forecasting so that it could
send timely warnings to vulnerable communities.
For national and local authorities and residents, the government has
undertaken multi-hazard and geohazard mapping, which is integral to the
effective assessment of risks, according to the President.
It is also carrying out a massive national re-greening program and
intensified the crackdown on anti-illegal logging activities.
At the same time, the government also started tagging public expenditure on
climate change to ensure that the appropriate prioritization and allocation
of funds is achieved, he said.
To reduce the impact of disasters on the poorest and most vulnerable
Filipinos, the government engaged other stakeholders in developing a
disaster risk financing and insurance policy framework.
"Perhaps the international community may see the value of such an
instrument, and look at it as a model to increase the financial resiliency
of other nations in a similar situation to ours," the President said.
The Philippines also has to continue to take steps to maintain and even
improve the country's low-emission development strategy and the trajectory
of its energy mix, the President noted.
"And we are hopeful that our fellow developing nations, especially those
who have been gaining the economic wherewithal to pursue similar
strategies, will tread a path akin to ours," he added.
Although less industrialized, the Philippines never lacked the resolve with
regards to transitioning towards less traditional sources of energy, the
President said.
What is lacking is the country's access to technology, financing, and
investment that would allow it to accelerate its strategy, the President
noted, believing however that the real challenge is to innovate in the
transfer of useful technology and the building of climate-smart
infrastructure.
Climate change does not recognize national boundaries, or political or
economic affiliations, according to the President. The chief executive
cited the devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda that hit the country last
year. PND (as)
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno
S. Aquino III met on Monday morning (Boston time) with United States Rep.
Joseph Kennedy III at Bill’s Pizzeria in Newton.
Kennedy, who recently visited the Philippines, invited the President for a
meeting if he travels to Massachusetts.
Kennedy is the grandson of the late US Sen. Robert Kennedy and grandnephew
of US President John F. Kennedy.
The President's 30-minute meeting with Kennedy will be followed by business
meetings with several American companies Monday afternoon based on his
official schedule.
After that, the President will give a speech at Kennedy School of
Government at Harvard University.
Aside from meeting Kennedy, the President visited their former home here in
Massachusetts located at 175 Commonwealth Ave. in Newton. The house is now
owned by American Ione Malloy.
The Aquino family stayed at the residence starting 1980 to 1983 while
former senator Benigno Aquino Jr, the President's father, was in exile
during the Marcos dictatorship.
In his speech at Boston College on Sunday, the President recalled his fond
memories in their house in Newton such his first winter in Massachusetts.
The President is expected to go to New York Monday evening after delivering
his message at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard
University. PND (as)
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(CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts) The ultimate
goal of the government is to empower the people through education, and
better health care and social services so that they would enjoy equal
opportunities, President Benigno S. Aquino III said at the Harvard University’s
John F. Kennedy School of Government here Monday.
"The budget for most of our social services had been increased in
multiples from the time we started in 2010," the President told
students during a question-and-answer session after delivering a policy
speech to discuss the present situation in the Philippines and the reform
measures being undertaken by his administration.
"The Department of Health, for instance, has had something like a
three-fold increase of their budget from the 2010 levels, precisely to
shield our population from catastrophic illnesses that will devastate
them," he added.
In terms of providing good education to the marginalized members of
society, he said there is an alternative learning system that caters to the
needs of migrant communities.
Teachers are embedded in these communities so that education is not stifled
and could continue in those areas, he said.
Regarding the out-of-school youth, the President said the government is
carrying out the Conditional Cash Transfer Program to ensure that young
people stay in school.
"The Conditional Cash Transfer Program’s principal condition is that
children should be kept in school, not just on the elementary level, but
also on the secondary level. We have expanded the program this year to
cover the secondary level," he explained.
He further said that the technical vocational sector of the Technical
Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) gives young people skills
that would land them good jobs in the job market, even if they merely
completed high school.
The government tries to provide incentives to out-of-school youths to
motivate them to continue their schooling, President Aquino said. PND (as)
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President Aquino: West
Philippine Sea claimants must adhere to rule of law
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(CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts) President
Benigno S. Aquino III, in a policy speech he delivered here Monday,
underscored the importance of following the rule of law in resolving the
dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
The question the Philippines is facing is whether the consensus of the
international community, as embodied by laws such as the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) would be upheld in resolving
these claims, President Aquino told students of Harvard University’s John
F. Kennedy School of Government.
All signatories to the UNCLOS have bound themselves to the equitable
delineation of maritime entitlements, he said, adding that this UN
convention grants countries equal rights as well as obligations.
"As a founding member of the United Nations, we believe that its
covenants, such as UNCLOS, and institutions, such as its International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, provide the most rational, just, and
respectful mechanism for countries to find harmony, despite their
differences," he noted.
Based on this principle, he said, the Philippine government drafted two
tracks of action in addressing the dispute in the West Philippine Sea.
First, by continuously calling for the formulation of a binding code of
conduct for the South China Sea, and second, through arbitration to clarify
the maritime entitlements for all countries concerned.
"International law allows for a dignified and sustainable resolution
to competing claims, as demonstrated by the recently concluded Bay of
Bengal Maritime Boundary Arbitration," President Aquino said.
The Philippines is one of the claimant countries in the West Philippines
Sea. Other countries with competing claims include China, Taiwan, Vietnam,
Brunei, and Malaysia.
This year, the Philippines filed a memorial before the International Arbitral
Tribunal to strengthen its case.
China, which has refused to participate in the arbitration, has been given
until December 15 this year to submit a similar memorial to the
international tribunal. PND (as)
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(CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts) President
Benigno S. Aquino III said it is not time to talk about politics and that
he would rather focus on addressing the needs of his people rather than
think about the 2016 presidential elections.
"I still have about a year and nine months to go," the President
said during a question-and-answer session after delivering a policy speech
at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University here
Monday.
"If we are all concentrated just on the next elections rather than
doing the things that we have to do now, we shouldn’t allow the distraction
of the election to interfere with our obligations to our people," he
said.
He noted that since he left Manila for an official tour of Europe and the
United States, two typhoons have struck the country and Mayon Volcano has
become restive.
“I think those have to be attended rather than jockeying for position in
2016," he pointed out.
The President also fended off criticisms hurled against his allies, saying
that if his critics think his allies are dishonest and corrupt, they could
charge them in court.
The Ombudsman in particular is ready to investigate complaints, even those
coming from anonymous individuals, he said.
On naming a successor, the President said he believes there are a lot of
individuals in the country qualified to become president.
He however indicated that he is not ready at this time to announce the
candidate he will support in the country's next presidential polls. PND
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Young leaders would hopefully learn from the Philippines' transformation,
President Aquino says
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(CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts) President
Benigno S. Aquino III on Monday expressed hope that students of Harvard’s
John F. Kennedy School of Government would learn from the transformation of
the Philippines realized through good governance.
Delivering a policy speech at the school, President Aquino said he is
determined to make the most of his six-year term that ends in 2016.
"Our challenge today is to make the gains even greater, and to ensure
that the transformation becomes an enduring mainstream of justice and
inclusiveness," he said.
"It is my hope that our experiences will motivate those like you, from
the other side of the world, to be influencers, who in turn will inspire
the communities and institutions with whom you will interact."
He emphasized that though leaders will be criticized for what they did, for
what they did not do, and even for what they are about to do, they must
always do the right thing.
They should persevere because giving up would mean allowing the shameless
and the unscrupulous to have free reign over the fate of everyone, he said.
The President also mentioned the men and women in his government who came
from the JFK School of Government: Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Social
Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, Presidential Assistant on Food Security
and Agricultural Modernization Francisco Pangilinan, and Presidential
Management Staff Secretary Julia Abad.
Chief Executive Officer of the Bases Conversion Development Authority Arnel
Casanova, as well as the late interior and local government secretary Jesse
Robredo were also fellows of the prestigious school. PND (as)
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(CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts) Dictatorship
is not the solution to a country's problems, President Benigno S. Aquino
III said during a discussion with students of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy
School of Government here Monday.
President Aquino was responding to an Indonesian student, who asked him
about his views on authoritarianism.
The President said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a close
friend, who advises him when he is confronted with complicated problems.
Indonesia serves as a role model for him, he said, adding that this is
because Indonesia’s population is larger than that of the Philippines.
"Having said that, a dictatorship can never be a good solution. The
person, no matter how good, good-intentioned, how thoroughly prepared, will
have an absence of a check and balance; and, again, man is an imperfect
being so his good will happen right away and his bad will be exacerbated,"
he said.
The President's father, former senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., defied the
Marcos dictatorship and it cost him his life.
He also recounted the healing process that the nation has been undergoing
after the dark years of martial rule, especially the granting of
compensation to victims of human rights abuses.
The country's lawmakers have passed the Human Rights Compensation Bill, in
which the state recognizes its obligation to nurture and protect its
citizens, the President said.
"And after that, there is an award for recognition of the same, so
that there is compensation for what was inflicted upon our people," he
said, adding this state recognition also puts on record individual accounts
of what rights were violated during the dark days of Martial Law.
"The end point being, we learn the lessons so that we do not have a
situation that repeats itself, that really brought our country to the
depths that it had entered into," President Aquino said. PND (as)
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The
Palace has expressed confidence that the 2015 National Budget will be
passed within the year.
“We are confident with the leadership of (House of Representatives) Speaker
Sonny Belmonte that the House will be able to pass the budget based on the
calendar… for the approval of the 2015 National Budget,” Presidential
Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told reporters during Tuesday’s press briefing
in Malacañang.
Lacierda said that the Palace is thankful that the House was able to muster
a quorum on Monday.
“Hopefully, the quorum will continue until the last day of the plenary
session on the approval of the budget in the lower house,” he said.
Lacierda was commenting on reports that Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco
has threatened to continue questioning the quorum of the day if Budget
Secretary Florencio Abad fails to release the detailed report on which
legislators received funding through the Disbursement Acceleration Program
(DAP).
Speaker
Belmonte on Thursday called on Liberal Party leaders to ask their members
to attend the budget deliberations to prevent a reenacted budget. PND (ag) |
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President Aquino welcomes ‘new blood’ in Philippine politics
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(CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts) President
Benigno S. Aquino III has said he welcomes the thought of having new people
in government as he remains positive toward signing the Anti-Political
Dynasty Bill into law.
“At the end of the day, new blood has to bring new ideas, new
methodologies, new energies that perhaps can improve on that which was
already set,” President Aquino told students of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy
School of Government during a forum held here Monday.
The President was responding to a student’s question on the presence of
political dynasties in the Philippines and how people who do not come from
such dynasties could have a fair shot at winning in the polls.
“First of all, there are already measures before Congress and I’m about to
pass the Anti-Dynasty Law in furtherance of the Constitution,” he said.
The President also reiterated his previous observation that some
politicians may be put at a disadvantage, even if they are doing something
right and not just relying on the good reputation attached to their famous
name.
“To forestall the possibility that there will be abuse of situations, then
perhaps we should make sure that, at some point—if not, perhaps after their
term limits—there is a whole new set (of leaders) who will be bringing in
ideas that hopefully will build upon that which is already developed,” he
said.
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are deliberating on their
respective versions of the Anti-Political Dynasty Bill, which has recently
gained steady backing from other politicians as well. PND (hdc)
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Philippines better
off today with ongoing reforms, says President Aquino
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) The Philippines
has changed a lot and has created more opportunities for its people because
of the reform measures undertaken by the government, President Benigno S.
Aquino III said Sunday in a speech before students of Boston College and
the Filipino-American community here.
Among the major changes that have taken place in the Philippines are the
country's big strides in the economic front, the peace in Mindanao, and
government initiatives to fight corruption, he said.
The President recalled that from 2006 to 2009, average growth was at 4.3
percent, saying this was largely consumer-driven, fueled by the remittances
of overseas workers who had lost hope in the motherland.
Since taking office in 2010, President Aquino said, his administration has
worked to foster sustainability by rebalancing the economy towards
investments.
"Since 2010, our economy has been growing at an average of 6.3
percent, and last year, we posted an economic growth of 7.2 percent, making
us one of the fastest growing economies in our part of the world," he
told his audience.
The World Economic Forum Competitiveness Report showed that the Philippines
jumped from 85th place in 2010 to 52nd in 2014, the biggest improvement by
any country in that particular time frame.
The three major credit ratings agencies, namely Fitch, Moody’s and Standard
& Poor’s, also upgraded the country for the first time to investment
grade in 2013, he said, adding that these upgrades reduced the cost of
borrowing and reinforced confidence among investors to put their money in
the Philippines.
On its anti-corruption drive, the President said the former chief Justice
of the Supreme Court was impeached and is facing charges in regular courts.
A former president and three incumbent senators are also in detention, all
of them facing charges of plunder, he added.
Focusing on social protection, he said, is also a major thrust of the
government.
The President said that 4.1 million poor Filipino families have committed
to vaccinating their children, keeping them in school, and sending pregnant
mothers for regular check-ups under the expanded Conditional Cash Transfer
program.
Job generation initiatives by the government have also started to bear
fruit, the Chief Executive said.
He said that 1.65 million more Filipinos hold jobs in April 2014, compared
to April 2013. From the first semester of 2012 to the same period in 2013,
2.5 million Filipinos have risen above the poverty line.
"And we are not satisfied; the government continues to work to ensure
that citizens not only surpass the poverty line and find gainful
employment, but also are shielded from once again falling below it
again," the President said.
After several decades, permanent peace is already evident in Mindanao, he told
the Boston College community.
The Executive Branch of the government, he said, has submitted the draft
Bangsamoro Basic Law to Congress, after the Comprehensive Agreement on the
Bangsamoro was signed in March this year.
"Our achievements thus far are merely the beginning of a new era of
transformation," he said, noting that the country is at the threshold
of sustained and positive change.
Current reforms have shifted the Filipino mindset, from indifference and
despair to having feelings of hope for Filipinos to dream again, he said.
PND (as)
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President Aquino thanks donors
from Boston for helping typhoon-devastated Visayan region
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno
S. Aquino III has expressed his gratitude to Boston College and
Filipino-Americans who had extended assistance to the victims of Typhoon
Yolanda.
"Without the help of our friends in the international community, the
path to recovery and rehabilitation would not have been traversed as early
and as efficiently," the President said in his speech at Boston
College here Sunday.
The President attended a convocation and a reception hosted by the
Filipino-American community here, and met with the recipients of the
Benigno and Corazon Aquino scholarship.
"To all my countrymen here today and to the organizations you belong
to and represent, I know that many of you here, including our host Boston
College, raised funds and sent material help to the Yolanda
survivors," he told his audience. "I would like to thank you for
your generosity and kindness."
The compassion expressed by donors from Boston is similar to core Filipino
values that remain to be a shining example of the best that humanity has to
offer, he said.
"It is the same sense of community that welcomed us and allowed my
family some warmth and light so many years ago, when the darkness of the
dictatorship threatened to overwhelm us," he added.
Prior to his meeting with the Filipino-American community and Boston
College officials and students, the President attended a mass celebrated at
St. Ignatius Church at the Boston College campus.
The President, who arrived here Saturday night, was accompanied by some
members of his Cabinet and Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose
Cuisia, Jr. PND (as)
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) As the country
marked the 42nd anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, President
Aquino on Sunday recalled his family’s sufferings under the dictatorship of
former president Ferdinand Marcos.
"Every aspect of life was controlled by the dictator, and unless you
belonged to the favored few, you had very limited rights," the
President said in a speech delivered before students and officials of
Boston College as well as Filipino-Americans here.
After then president Marcos put the entire nation under military rule on
September 21, 1972, President Aquino’s family had to live in exile for
three years in Boston. When his father, former senator Benigno Aquino, Jr.
returned to the Philippines on August 21, 1983, he was assassinated.
"A curfew limited the time you could be outside your home; travel
abroad required official permission; and there was no such thing as free
speech, or freedom of assembly," President Aquino said.
Marcos and his cronies plundered the public treasury, destroyed the checks
and balances in government, and governed with total impunity to kill,
abduct and torture critics, according to the President.
Out of fear, or an unwillingness to take any risk, many people stopped
talking to the Aquino family, he recounted.
He noted that his father’s assassination however became a turning point, as
the Filipinos sympathized with the Aquinos, leading to the 1986 EDSA People
Power Revolution that also put his mother, former president Corazon Aquino
at the helm of government.
President Aquino further said that just like during the martial law years,
the country experienced about a decade of abuse and neglect during the
previous administration.
This however changed when the Filipinos gave him the mandate to carry out
reforms in government, he said.
He told his audience that present achievements are merely the beginning of
a new era of national transformation.
"We are at the threshold of sustained, positive change in society; we
have corrected the inefficiencies in government, stopped the wrong
practices, and engendered a shift in the Filipino mindset, from one of
indifference and despair, to one where we can dream again, and are
increasingly being given the wherewithal to fulfill our dreams," he
said.
The nation, he said, will be building on what it has already achieved,
starting from a higher plane, towards a situation that could harness the
full potential of the Filipino people.
"And I know that if we hold fast, and keep on the straight path, then
the transformation in Philippine society can become an enduring mainstream
of justice, inclusiveness, and empowerment," President Aquino said.
PND (as)
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President Aquino pays homage to Boston,
walks down memory lane
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno
S. Aquino III on Sunday paid homage to Boston in a 37-minute speech,
replete with anecdotes and bittersweet memories, as he looked back at his
life in the early 1980s while growing up in this area.
It was a homecoming 31 years in the making. President Aquino acknowledged
it took that long for him to come back as he had to make sure his emotions
were in check before embarking on this nostalgic trip.
“It has been 31 years since I left Boston, and coming here for the first
time since then brings back quite a lot of memories. It was here in Boston
that I experienced my first snowfall,” the President told a
Filipino-American convocation at the Robsham Theater in Boston College.
“To those of you who remember me back then as the dog-handler, carpenter,
plumber, baggage-carrier, mechanic, driver, etc., as that young man who
found it difficult to weather your cold winters, you must be thinking ‘how
things have changed,' Boston played a significant role in this,” he said.
President Aquino said he owed to Boston and their friends here the “sense
of normalcy” granted to his family as they tried to comprehend the
suffering they had to deal with under then president Ferdinand Marcos’
dictatorship.
“It was here in Boston that I learned the value of introspection… I
consider my time here as amongst my formative years, fortifying me for the
continuation of the struggle, and arming me with relevant experiences… It
was in Boston, thanks to all our friends, that my family was given a haven
from the persecution of the dictatorship,” he said.
President Aquino lived in Boston with his family from 1980 to 1983. He was
in his early 20s then and had just graduated from Ateneo de Manila
University.
He remembered the deep conversations he had with his father, the late
Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., during those years and how these conversations
guide him whenever he has to make tough decisions.
“My father was quoting from the Bible when he said, ‘If the time is not
right, a thousand prophets will not make a difference. But if the time is
right, not even a single prophet will be needed.’ He was proven right.
Dad's death started a new movement for change,” he said.
The elder Aquino’s assassination on August 21, 1983 ignited a people power
revolution in the Philippines, catapulting his wife, Corazon Aquino, to the
presidency. President Aquino eventually followed his parents’ footsteps
after responding to public clamor for him to run for president in 2010.
“For me, the time my family spent in Boston will always be linked to the
revolution that reclaimed democracy and our national dignity. The
solidarity we felt from Boston College and the community here was a
precursor of the solidarity displayed by the millions of Filipinos who
massed in EDSA. It is, indeed, an understatement to say that Boston is
close to my family’s heart,” he said.
President Aquino thanked the entire Boston College community as well as the
Jesuit priests whom he considered as among those responsible for his
scholastic upbringing.
"If I amounted to anything, I think the Jesuits should be credited
with, at the very least, half of what I know today," President Aquino
earlier said to Fr. William Leahy, who celebrated the mass he attended at
the St. Ignatius Church prior to the convocation.
Concluding his speech, the President left this particular vignette about
his mother to his audience: “During her visit to Boston in the springtime
of Filipino democracy in 1986, Mom said to the communities here, ‘I wish
you many splendid autumn memories this winter.’ I echo this today, in
saying: May the memories you build here be warmed by the affections of
Filipinos who, like me, found in Boston home, kindness, and kinship.” PND
(hdc)
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Malacañang on Monday announced that
President Benigno S. Aquino III has appointed 12 new officials in various
government agencies.
In a press briefing, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte told
reporters that President Aquino signed the appointment of Victor Jose
Luciano as member of the Civil Aeronautics Board under the Department of
Transportation and Communication (DOTC).
Also appointed under the DOTC were Emigdio Tanjuatco III as president/chief
executive officer and member of the board of directors of the Clark
International Airport Corporation; and Alipio Fernandez, Jr. and Ramil
Guiao as members of the corporation’s board of directors.
Under the Department of Health, Valeriano Lopez was appointed as Director
IV; and Celia Carlos and Ruby Constantino as Acting Directors III.
The President also appointed Lea Delfinado as Director III under the
Department of Public Works and Highways; Danilo Enriquez as Director IV of
the Bureau of Philippine Standards under the Department of Trade and
Industry; Briccio Santos as chairperson of the Film Development Council of the
Philippines; Gregorio Ramon Tingson as member representing the youth sector
under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council; and, Reginald
Villasanta as undersecterary under the Office of the President. PND (ag)
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Gov’t allots P14.8-M
for President Aquino’s visit to US
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The government has earmarked P14.8
million for President Benigno S. Aquino III’s visit to the US, where he
will address a global summit on climate change organized by the United
Nations and sit down with business leaders to discuss the investment and
tourism potential of the Philippines, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa
Jr. said on Monday.
President Aquino departed Berlin, Germany, the last stop in his eight-day
working visit to Europe, on Saturday evening for Boston for a four-day
visit beginning September 20. He will be in New York on September 22.
President Aquino will be joined in the US by members of his official
family, namely, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, Finance
Secretary Cesar Purisima, Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo,
Socio-economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Presidential Assistant
on Climate Change Secretary Mary Ann Lucille Sering, Cabinet Secretary Jose
Rene Almendras, Press Secretary Herminio Coloma, Presidential Management
Staff Chief Julia Andrea Abad, Presidential Protocol Chief Celia Anna
Feria, Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III and Undersecretary Rochelle Ahorro.
The amount covers expenses for transportation, accommodation, food,
equipment and other requirements of the Chief Executive and his delegation.
“President Aquino will underscore the experience and successes of our
country in implementing reforms and in dealing with the problem of
corruption in government to political and business leaders in the US,”
Ochoa noted.
“He sees this visit to the US as an opportunity to push our agenda on
trade, tourism, peace and security as well as further strengthen ties
between our country and the US.”
In New York, President Aquino is scheduled to meet with the chief executive
officer (CEO) of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and will have the
opportunity to ring the NYSE bell. A breakfast roundtable with CEOs will
also be held at the NYSE.
Later in the day, the President will sit down with CEOs of the US Chamber
of Commerce and the US-ASEAN Business Council for a business roundtable.
One of the highlights of the President’s visit in the US is a speech before
world leaders at the UN Climate Change Summit Plenary 2014 organized by the
United Nations.
“President Aquino will emphasize the need for world leaders to stand
together to address climate change and its adverse effects on people and
economies. The President is well aware of the impacts of climate change
especially to vulnerable developing counties like the Philippines,” Ochoa
said.
President Aquino is expected to be back in the country on Thursday
(September 25).
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President Aquino thanks Boston
College for renaming scholarships after his
parents
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno
S. Aquino III on Sunday thanked the Boston College community for honoring
his parents, the late senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. and the late president
Corazon Aquino, by renaming the Asian American Scholarships after them.
“In this home away from home, I must also express my deepest appreciation
to Boston College for renaming the Asian American Scholarships after my
parents in 2010,” the President told a convocation of Filipino-Americans at
Boston College’s Robsham Theater.
The Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholarships are bestowed annually upon
smart, dedicated, and courageous Asian and Asian-American students who are
entering their senior year at Boston College.
“Mom and Dad placed a very high premium on education. They believed that a
person can be famous one day, and a nobody the next; he can be rich today,
and penniless tomorrow. But education is a permanent resource; once you
have it, you can never lose it,” President Aquino told students of the
college.
“All of you who are students here bear the hopes and dreams of your
families and communities. You face the challenge of balancing your
academics with the Ignatian challenge of being a man or a woman for others,
of going beyond yourselves and truly being God's light in the world,” he
added.
Out of all the many great Asian and Asian-Americans that embody the ideals
the scholarship program stand for, naming it after President Aquino’s
parents was the perfect fit, said Professor Min Hyoung Song, Boston College
Chair of the Aquino Scholarship and Director of the Asian American Studies
Program.
“What I personally love about the name—Benigno and Corazon Aquino—is that
it tells us something about this problem for justice. It says that one
might never see the fulfillment of one’s aspirations for justice. But that
one, nevertheless, strives and finds courage to attain it,” Song explained
“And if one fails, someone else will pick up that struggle. That one will
have inspired someone else and that it continues on and on, that the
struggle for justice never ends, and I think that’s what this scholarship
ultimately distills for our students,” he added.
President Aquino also met some of the Asian and Asian-American recipients
of the scholarship program, including Matt Alonsozana, who spoke in behalf
of his fellow scholars to deliver a message of gratitude for the visiting
Philippine head of state.
“Mr. President, the scholarship named in honor of your parents is not so
much an occasion to which we here at Boston College celebrate past deeds.
Instead, the bestowal of this award is an acknowledgment by our community
that the principles and ideals of your parents illustrate that which we are
called here to do at Boston College: to give and not to count the cost, to
fight and not to heave the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to
labor and not to seek reward, to be men and women for others now and
forevermore,” Alonsozana said.
The connection between Boston College and the Aquino family dates back to
the early 1980s, when the latter occupied the house at 175 Commonwealth
Avenue, which is a short distance away from the school.
President Aquino’s younger sister, Viel Aquino-Dee, in fact completed her
college education here. The Chief Executive also said he spent a lot of
time in its St. Ignatius Church back in the day.
“Each year, we award the Benigno and Corazon Aquino scholarship in
recognition of their commitment to justice, democracy, and service of
others. So today’s events, our presence here, reaffirm the links between
Boston College and the Philippines,” said Fr. William Leahy, president of the
Boston College. PND (hdc)
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Flood control projects to be completed by August 2015, says Palace
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In the aftermath of Typhoon Mario that
left parts of Metro Manila submerged in floodwaters, the government is
optimistic that it can complete its flood control projects by August next
year, a Palace official said on Monday.
In a press briefing, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte told
reporters that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will look
for other sources of funds to complete the projects.
“Sabi ni (DPWH) Secretary (Rogelio) Singson, while there were
infrastructure projects na flood-related affected by the DAP decision,
hahanapan nila ng ibang funding source ito,” said Valte.
She noted that the DPWH has identified the three main causes of flooding in
Metro Manila -- the clogged waterways, small and old drainage, and garbage
that find their way into the sewage system.
Meanwhile, Valte said President Benigno S. Aquino III has directed his
Cabinet to give the typhoon victims assistance, restore power supply, and
make passable all flooded roads for relief efforts.
“Siguraduhin na kahit umaaraw na ay patuloy pa rin ang pagtulong ng
pambansang pamahalaan,” she said, referring to the President’s instruction.
According to Valte, power has been restored in Apayao, Laguna, Batangas,
Quezon and Rizal. PND (ag)
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Nakipagpulong
ang Pangulong Aquino kay Kinatawan Joseph Kennedy III
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts)
Nakipagpulong ang Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III kay Kinatawan Joseph
Kennedy III ng Estados Unidos sa Bill’s Pizzeria sa Newton Lunes ng umaga
(oras sa Boston).
Si Kennedy ay dumalaw kamakailan sa Pilipinas at inanyayahan ang Pangulo na
magkita sila kung pupunta ang Pangulo sa Massachusetts.
Si Kennedy ay apo ng yumaong Senador Robert Kennedy at pamangkin ng
Pangulong John F. Kennedy ng Estados Unidos.
May 30 minutong nag-usap ang Pangulo at si Kennedy. Pagkatapos ng pulong
nila ng Senador, nakipagpulong naman ang Pangulong Aquino sa mga kinatawan
ng iba-ibang kompanyang Amerikano Lunes ng hapon.
Pagkatapos ng pulong na ito ay nakatakdamg magtalumpati ang Pangulong
Aquino sa Kennedy School of Government ng Harvard University.
Bukod sa pulong nila ni Kennedy, dumalaw rin ang Pangulo sa dati nilang
tahanan dito na nasa 175 Commonwealth Avenue sa Newton. Si Lone Malloy,
isang Amerikano na ang may-ari ng nasabing bahay ngayon.
Ang mag-anak na Aquino ay nanirahan sa bahay na nasabi noong 1980 hanggang
1983 habang ang dating Senador Benigno Aquino, Jr. ay nakapatapon noong
panahon ng diktaduryang Marcos.
Sa talumpati niya sa Boston College noong Linggo, isinalaysay ng Pangulong
Aquino ang masasayang alaala nila sa naturang tahanan sa Newton na tulad ng
kauna-unahang winter (taglamig) sa Massachusetts.
Lunes ng gabi inaasahang tutungo ang Pangulong Aquino sa New York
pagkatapos ng pagtatalumpati niya sa John F. Kennedy School of Government
sa Harvard University para daluhan ang pulong ng Bansang Magkakaanib
tungkol sa Pagbabago ng Klima. PND (as/zaf)
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Binibigyang
kapangyarihan ng gobyerno ang mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng edukasyon at
pag-aalaga sa kalusugan nila, sabi ng Pangulong Aquino
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(CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts)
“Ang pangunahing pakay ng pamahalaan ay bigyang kapangyarihan ang taong
bayan sa pamamagitan ng edukasyon, higit na mabuting pangangalaga sa
kalusugan at mga serbisyong panlipunan upang magkaroon sila ng pantay na
pagkakataon sa buhay,” sabi ng Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III sa talumpati
sa John F. Kennedy School of Government ng Harvard University dito Lunes.
“Malaki ang idinagdag namin sa badyet ng serbisyong panlipunan sapul nang
manungkulan kami noong 2010,” sagot ng Pangulo sa mga mag-aaral sa question
and answer session pagkatapos ng talumpati niya na tumalakay sa kalagayan
ng Pilipinas ngayon at ang mga hakbang tungo sa pagbabago na ginagawa ng
administrasyon niya.
“Halimbawa, ang Kagawaran ng Kalusugan ay nagtatlong ibayo ang laki ng
badyet mula noong 2010 upang pangalagaan ang aming mga kababayan laban sa
malulubhang karamdaman na maaaring dumapo sa kanila,” dugtong pa ng
Pangulo.
Sa pagkakaloob naman ng mahusay na edukasyon sa mga maralitang bahagi ng
lipunan ay mayroong alternatibong paraan ng pagtuturo na tumutugon sa kailangan
ng mga migranteng komunidad.
“Ang mga guro ay ipinadadala sa mga pook na ito upang patuloy na
makapag-aral ang mga naninirahan sa mga pook na ito,” paliwanag ng Pangulo.
Sinabi ng Pangulo na ang mga hindi na nag-aaral na kabataan ay tinutulungan
ng pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng Conditional Cash Transfer Program upang
matiyak na patuloy na mag-aaral ang mga ito.
“Ang pangunahing kondisyon sa Conditional Cash Transfer Program ay hindi
patitigilin sa pag-aaral ang mga bata, hindi lamang sa mababang paaralan,
kundi pati sa mataas na paaralan. Pinalawak namin ang program sa taong ito
para masakop na ang mataas na paaralan,” paliwanag ng Pangulo.
Sinabi rin ng Pangulo na pinagtutuunan ng pansin ng Technical Education
Skills Development Authority (TESDA) ang pagtuturo ng kaalamang
panghanap-buhay upang ang mga kabataan ay may alam para makakuha ng
mabubuting trabaho kahit tapos lamang sila sa mataas na paaralan.
Binigyang diin ng Pangulong Aquino na puspusan ang pagsisikap ng pamahalaan
na mahikayat ang kabataan na magpatuloy sa pag-aaral. PND (as/zaf)
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Hindi pa
ito ang panahon para pag-usapan ang pulitika---Pangulong Aquino
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(CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts)
“Hindi pa ito ang panahon para pag-usapan ang pulitika. Sa halip, ibig kong
ituon ang buo kong panahon sa pagtugon sa mga kailangan ng sambayanan kaysa
isipin ang tungkol sa halalang pampanguluhan sa 2016.”
Ito ang binigyang diin ng Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III sa tanong sa
kanya ng mga mag-aaral pagkatapos magtalumpati sa John F. Kennedy School of
Government sa Harvard University dito Lunes.
“Mayroon pa akong isang taon at siyam na buwan. Kung ibubuhos nating lahat
ang panahon tungkol sa susunod na halalan sa halip na gawin ang mga dapat
gawin ngayon, makasasagabal ito sa ating pananagutan sa taong bayan, hindi
natin dapat gawin iyon,” wika ng Pangulong Aquino.
Binanggit ng Pangulo na sapul nang umalis siya sa Maynila para sa opisyal
na pagdalaw sa Europa at sa Estados Unidos, dalawang bagyo na ang dumaan sa
bansa at patuloy ang bantang pagputok ng Bulkang Mayon.
“Palagay ko, ito ang dapat harapin sa halip na ang pag-aagawan sa puwesto
sa 2016,” dagdag pa ng Pangulo.
Tinugon din ng Pangulo ang mga tuligsang ipinukol sa mga kapanalig niya at
sinabing kung ang palagay ng mga kritiko nila ay hindi tapat at “corrupt”
ang mga kapanalig niya, magharap sila ng sakdal sa hukuman.
“Nakahanda lalo na ang Ombudsman na siyasatin ang ano mang sumbong, kahit
ang mga galing sa hindi nagpapakilalang mga tao,” dugtong pa ng Pangulo.
Tungkol naman sa pagpili ng papalit sa kanya, sinabi ng Pangulo na
naniniwala siyang maraming tao sa ating bansa na karapat-dapat maging
Pangulo.
Gayunman, ipinahiwatig ng Pangulong Aquino na hindi pa siya handa ngayon na
sabihin kung sino ang kandidatong tutulungan niya sa susunod na
pampanguluhang halalan sa bansa. PND (as/zaf)
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Aquino: 'Harinawang
ang mga kabataang lider ay makapulot ng aral sa mga pagbabago sa Pilipinas'
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(CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts)
Sinabi ng Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III na umaasa siyang ang mga
mag-aaral ng John F. Kennedy School of Government ng Harvard University ay
may matututuhan sa pagbabagong ng Pilipinas na naisakatuparan sa
pamamagitan ng mabuting pamamahala.
Sa talumpati sa naturang paaralan, binigyang diin ng Pangulong Aquino na
matatag ang paninindigan niya na gawin ang lahat ng makakaya ng anim na
taong termino ng panunungkulan niya na magtatapos sa 2016.
“Ang pagsubok sa atin ngayon ay pag-ibayuhin pa at nang matiyak na ang ano
pang pakinabang at tiyaking ang pagbabago ay patuloy na magiging balong ng
katarungan at mabuting paglilingkod,” dugtong pa ng Pangulo.
“Inaasahan ko na ang ating mga karanasan ang magbibigay-sigla sa mga
katulad ninyo, buhat sa kabilang dako ng daigdig, na makahikayat na
magbibigay ng ispirasyon sa mga komunidad at istitusyong inyong
nakakasalamuha,” pagbibigay-diin pa ng Pangulo.
Binigyang diin niya na bagaman napupulaan ang mga lider sa kanilang ginawa,
sa hindi rin nila ginawa at maging sa mga gagawin pa lamang niya,
kailangang ang lagi nilang gawin ay ang tamang gawain.
Idinugtong ng Pangulo na dapat silang magsipag at magtiyaga sapagka’t ang
pagtigil sa ano mang gawain ay mangangahulugang pinapayagan ang mga matapang
ang hiya at tiwali na malayang makapamayani sa kapalaran ng bawa’t isa.
Binanggit din ng Pangulo na ang mga lalaki at babae sa pamahalaan na buhat
sa JFK School of Government ay sina: Kalihim Florencio Abad ng Badyet,
Kalihim Dinky Soliman ng Kagalingang Panlipunan, Presidential Assistant on
Food Security ang Agricultural Modernization Francis Pangilinan at
Presidential Management Staff Secretary Julia Abad.
Si Arnel Casanova, Chief Executiive Officer ng Bases Conversion Development
Authority at ang yumaong Kalihim Jesse Robredo ng Interyor at Lokal na
Pamahalaan ay mga nagtapos din sa kinikilalang paaralang nasabi. PND
(as/zaf)
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(CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts)
Ang diktadurya ay hindi lunas sa mga problema ng bansa, sabi ng Pangulong
Benigno S. Aquino III sa talakayan nila ng mga mag-aaral ng John F. Kennedy
School of Government ng Harvard University dito Lunes.
Ang tinugon ng Pangulong Aquino ay tanong ng isang mag-aaral dito na
Indones. Binanggit pa ng Pangulo na matalik na kaibigan niya ang Pangulong
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ng Indonesia na nagpapayo sa kanya kapag nahaharap
sa masalimuot na mga problema.
Sinabi ng Pangulo na ang Indonesia ay nagsisilbing role model para sa kanya
sapagka’t ang mamamayan ng nasabing bansa ay higit na marami kaysa sa mga
Pilipino.
“Ang diktadurya ay hindi kailanman magiging mabuting solusyon. Ang tao,
gaano man kabuti, mainam ang hangarin, gaano man kalawak ang kahandaan, ay
mawawalan ng check and balance at muli, ang tao palibhasa ay hindi
perpektong nilikha kaya maaaring maglaho ang kabutihan at mamayani ang
kasamaan,” paliwanag pa ng Pangulo.
Ang ama ng Pangulo, dating Senador Benigno Aquino, Jr. ay kumalaban sa
diktaduryang Marcos na naging daan ng pagkaputi ng buhay nito.
Binanggit din ng Pangulo ang pinagdaraanang proseso ng paghihilom ng bansa
matapos sumailalim sa madidilim na mga taon ng pag-iral ng Martial Law,
lalo na ang pagkakaloob ng kompensasyon sa mga biktima ng pagmamalabis sa
karapatang pantao.
“Nagpatibay na ang mga mambabatas ng bansa ng Human Rights Compensation
Bill na kumikilala sa pananagutan sa mga pinahirapan at pangalagaan ang
mamamayan nito,” sabi pa ng Pangulong Aquino.
“Pagkatapos nito, bibigyan ng gawad ng pagkilala ang nasabing mga tao, kaya
may kompensasyon para sa mga nasaktang mamamayan namin,” wika ng Pangulo at
idinugtong na ang pagkilalang ito ng pamahalaan ay maglalagay rin sa record
ng mga salaysay kung anong karapatan nila ang nalapastangan noong madidilim
na araw ng Martial Law.
“Ang mahalaga nito, natutuhan na namin ang leksiyon upang hindi na namin
tulutang maulit ang gayong kalagayang nagbulusok sa aming bansa sa banging
kinasadlakan nito,” paliwanag pa ng Pangulong Aquino. PND (as/zaf)
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Higit na mabuti
ang kalagayan ng Pilipinas ngayon dahil sa mga repormang naisagawa
na—Aquino
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts)
Malaking pagbabago na ang nagawa sa Pilipinas at nakalikha pa ng
karagdagang pagkakataon sa mga mamamayan nito dahil sa mga pagbabagong
ginawa ng pamahalaan, sabi ng Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III sa talumpati
sa harap ng mga mag-aaral ng Boston College at ng komunidad ng
Pilipino-Amerikano rito.
“Ang pinakamalaking pagbabago ay naganap sa larangan ng ekonomya, ng
kapayapaan sa Mindanao at sa puspusang pagdigma ng pamahalaan sa
katiwalian,” wika ng Pangulo.
Sinabi ng Pangulo na mula noong 2006 hanggang 2009, ang naging pag-unlad ay
4.3 porsiyento na bunga ng consumer-driven na pag-angat at pinalakas pang
lalo ng pagpapauwi ng pera ng mga manggagawang nasa ibang bansa na nawalan
na ng pag-asa sa Inang Bayan.
Binigyang diin ng Pangulo na sapul nang manungkulan siya noong 2010,
puspusang hinarap ng administrasyon niya ang pagsusulong ng mabilis at
tuluy-tuloy na pagsusulong ng ekonomya dahil sa pamumuhunan.
“Mula noong 2010, ang ating ekonomya ay lumalago sa antas na 6.3 porsiyento
at noong nakaraang taon, ang pagsulong ng ekonomya natin ay umabot sa 7.2
porsiyento na naging dahilan kaya tayo ay makabilang sa isa sa
pinakamalakas umunlad na bansa sa bahaging ito ng daigdig,” paliwanag pa ng
Pangulo.
Sa World Economic Forum Competitiveness Report ay lumabas na umangat ang
Pilipinas sa ika-62 puwesto ngayong 2014 buhat sa ika-85 puwesto noong 2010
na pinakamalaking pag-unlad ng isang bansa sa naturang panahon.
Binanggit din ng Pangulo na itinaas ng tatlong pangunahing credit rating
agencies na Fitch, Moody’s at Standard & Poor’s ang katayuan ng bansa
sa unang pagkakataon sa investment grade noong 2013. Idinugtong pa ng
Pangulo na ang pag-angat na ito ay naging daan para mabawasan ang halaga ng
inuutang at lumaki ang tiwala ng mga imbestor na maglagak ng kanilang
salapi sa Pilipinas.
Tungkol sa digma laban sa katiwalian, sinabi ng Pangulo na ang dating
Punong Mahistrado ng Kataastaasang Hukuman ay natanggal sa tungkulin sa
pamamagitan ng impeachment at ngayon ay nahaharap sa mga usaping nasa mga
hukuman.
Bukod dito, sinabi ng Pangulo na isang dating pangulo at tatlong
kasalukuyang senador ang nakapiit din at pinapananagot sa salang
pandarambong (plunder).
Sinabi ng Pangulo na ang kapakanan ng mga dukha ay isa sa mahalagang
pinagtutuunan ng kanyang administrasyon at umaabot na sa 4.1 milyong dukhang
mag-anak na Pilipino ang nangakong pababakunahan nila ang kanilang mga
anak, titiyaking nag-aaral ang mga ito at ang nagdadalangtaong mga ina ay
sasailalim sa regular checkups para sa kalusugan ng sanggol na dinadala
nila sa sinapupunan. Ang lahat nang ito ay sa ilalim ng pinalawak na
programang Conditional Cash Transfer.
Ibinalita rin ng Pangulong Aquino na nagsisimula nang mamunga ang ginawang
pagsisikap ng pamahalaan para makalikha ng mga hanapbuhay.
Ayon sa Pangulo, noong Abril 2014 ay naragdagan ng 1.65 milyon ang mga
Pilipinong mayroong hanapbuhay kung ihahambing sa kalagayan noong Abril
2013.
“Mula sa unang semestre ng 2012 hanggang sa gayunding panahon noong 2013,
2.5 milyong Pilipino ang nakaangat sa karalitaan,” sabi ng Pangulo.
Sinabi ng Pangulo na hindi pa rin siya nasisiyahan sa bilang na ito kaya
patuloy ang pamahalaan sa pagtiyak na hindi lamang makaaahon sa karalitaan
ang taong bayan, kundi magkakaroon pa ng kapaki-kapakinabang na hanapbuhay
at titiyaking hindi na sila muling magugumon pagdaralita.
Ipinaalam din ng Pangulo sa mga dumalo sa pagtitipon sa Boston College na
tiyak na matatamo ang tunay na kapayapaan sa Mindanao pagkaraan ng
deka-dekadang pagiging mailap nito.
Ayon sa Pangulong Aquino, iniharap na ng Sangay Ehekutibo ng gobyerno sa
Kongreso ang draft Bangsamoro Basic Law matapos malagdaan noong Marso ng
taong ito ang Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
“Ang mga nagawa namin ay pasimula pa lamang ng isang bagong panahon ng
pagbabago,” sabi ng Pangulo at binigyang diin na ang bansa ay nasa yugto na
ng patuloy at positibong pagbabago.
“Dahil sa mga kasalukuyang pagbabago, ang diwang Pilipino na nahirati na sa
pagwawalang bahala at pagkasiphayo ay bumalikwas at ang namamayani ngayon
ay ang diwa ng pag-asa upang muling mangarap,” sabi pa ng Pangulo. PND
(as/zaf)
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Pinasalamatan
ng Pangulong Aquino ang mga taga-Boston na tumulong sa mga nasalanta ng
bagyong Yolanda sa kabisayaan
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts)
Pinasalamatan ng Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III ang Boston College at ang
mga Pilipino-Amerikanong tumulong sa mga biktima ng Bagyong Yolanda.
“Kung hindi sa tulong ng aming mga kaibigan sa pandaigdig na komunidad, ang
landas patungo sa pagbabagong tatag na rehabilitasyon ay hindi naman
matatahak nang maaga at mabilis,” sabi ng Pangulong Aquino sa kanyang
talumpati sa Boston College Linggo.
Dinaluhan ng Pangulong Aquino ang programa at pagtitipong handog ng mga
Pilipino-Amerikano rito at nakipagpulong sa mga tumanggap ng Benigno and
Corazon Aquino Scholarship,
“Sa aking mga kababayang natitipon dito ngayon at sa mga kapisanang
kinasasapian at kinakatawan ninyo, alam kong marami sa inyong narito
ngayon, kabilang na ang ating punung-abalang Boston College, ay lumikom ng
pondo at nagpadala ng mga tulong sa mga nakaligtas sa Yolanda,” wika ng
Pangulong Aquino. “Ibig kong pasalamatan ang inyong kabutihan at
kagandahang-loob.”
“Ang malasakit na ipinamalas ng mga tumulong buhat sa Boston ay
kahalintulad ng katangi-tanging ugaling Pilipino na namamalaging
maluningning na halimbawa ng pinakamainam na maihahandog ng sangkatauhan,”
sabi pa ng Pangulo.
“Iyon ding diwang iyon ng pakikisama na tumanggap sa amin nang bukas-bisig
at pumayag na manirahan ang aking pamilya rito, maraming mga taon na ang
nakalilipas nang ang karimlan ng diktadurya ay maging matinding bantang
nais sumakmal sa amin,” pahayag pa ng Pangulong Aquino.
Bago dumalo ang Pangulo sa pulong na ito ng komunidad ng Pilipino-Amerikano
at ng mga pinuno at mag-aaral ng Boston College, nakinig muna siya ng misa
sa Simbahan ni San Ignacio sa bakuran ng Boston College.
Sabado ng gabi nang dumating dito ang Pangulo kasama ang ilang kagawad ng
Gabinete at si Embahador Jose Cuisia, Jr. ng Pilipinas sa Estados Unidos.
PND (as/zaf)
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Ginunita
ng Pangulong Aquino ang matinding hirap noong Martial Law
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts)
Habang ginugunita ng bansa ang ika-42 anibersaryo ng deklarasyon ng
Batas-Militar (Martial Law) Linggo, sinariwa naman ng Pangulong Benigno
Aquino III ang pagdurusang pinagdaanan ng kanyang pamilya sa ilalim ng
diktadurya ng dating Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos.
“Kontrolado ng dating diktador ang bawa’t antas ng buhay at kung kayo ay
hindi kasama sa iilang kapanalig, sikil na sikil ang iyong mga karapatan,”
sabi ng Pangulong Aquino sa talumpati sa harap ng mga mag-aaral at pinuno
ng Boston College, gayundin ang mga Pilipino-Amerikano dito.
Matapos ipailalim ng noon ay Pangulong Marcos ang buong bansa sa ilalim ng
batas-militar noong Setyembre 21, 1972, ang pamilya ng Pangulong Aquino ay
namuhay nang nakapatapon sa Boston. Pinaslang ang ama niya, dating Senador
Benigno Aquino, Jr. nang umuwi sa Pilipinas noong Agosto 23, 1983.
“Nag-utos ng curfew upang takdaan ang oras ng pamamalagi mo sa labas ng
iyong tahanan. Kung pupunta ka sa ibang bansa, kailangang kumuha ka ng
opisyal na pahintulot at walang kalayaan sa pagsasalita o kalayaan sa
pagtitipun-tipon,” sabi ng Pangulong Aquino.
“Kinamkam ni Marcos at ng mga kaibigan niya ang kaban ng bayan, winasak ang
checks and balances sa pamahalaan at namuno nang walang gulat pumatay,
dumukot at pahirapan ang mga kritiko niya,” sabi ng Pangulo.
“Sa takot o dahil sa hangaring huwag malagay sa panganib, maraming tao ang
hindi na nakipag-usap sa pamilya Aquino,” dugtong ng Pangulo.
Sinabi ng Pangulong Aquino na ang pagpaslang sa kanyang ama ang bumago sa
kaisipan ng mga Pilipino na nakikiramay sa mga Aquino at ito ang humantong
sa 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution na nagluklok sa kanyang ina, Corazon
Aquino, bilang Pangulo ng pamahalaan ng Pilipinas.
Sinabi ng Pangulong Aquino na tulad noong panahon ng martial law, dumanas
ang bansa ng isang dekada ng pagmamalabis at kapabayaan ng sinundan niyang
administrasyon.
“Subali’t ang lahat nang ito ay nagbago nang pagkalooban ng sambayanang
Pilipino ang inyong lingkod na isagawa ang mga repormang kailangan sa
pamahalaan,” sabi pa ng Pangulong Aquino.
Binigyang diin ng Pangulo na ang mga ginawa at ginagawa niya sa kasalukuyan
ay pasimula pa lamang ng isang bagong panahon ng pambansang pagbabago.
“Tayo ay nasa rurok na ng patuloy at positibong pagbabago sa lipunan.
Itinuwid na namin ang mga kamalian sa pamahalaan, pinatigil ang maling mga
gawain at inilunsad ang isang pagbabago sa kaisipang Pilipino mula sa
ugaling pagwawalang bahala at paghihinagpis ay binuhay ang simulaing muli
tayong maaaring mangarap at patuloy na dinaragdagan natin ang mga paraan
upang bigyang katuparan ang ating mga adhikain,” sabi pa ng Pangulo.
Ayon sa Pangulo, ang bansa ay magtatatag sa ano mang nagawa na nito patungo
sa higit na matayog na antas ng hangarin ukol sa isang kalagayang
magsisilbing pamukaw sa walang katulad na kakayahan ng sambayanang
Pilipino.
“At alam kong kapag tayo ay mahigpit na nagkapit-bisig, at magpapatuloy sa
pagtahak sa tuwid na landas, walang alinlangang ang pagbabago sa lipunang
Pilipino ay magiging matatag na balong ng katarungan, laganap at tunay na
pamamayani ng kapangyarihan ng sambayanan,” dagdag pa ng Pangulong Aquino.
PND (as/zaf)
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Nagpugay
ang Pangulong Aquino sa Boston, sinariwa ang mga alaala doon
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts)
Nagpugay ang Pangulong Benigno S. Aquino III sa Boston Linggo at sa 37
minutong talumpati niya ay binalikan ang magaganda at masasaklap na alaala
sa paglingon sa kanyang paglaki sa pook na ito noong mga unang bahagi ng
1880.
Tatlumpu’t isang taon bago nakabalik dito ang Pangulong Aquino at sinabi
niyang tumagal nang gayon kaluwat bago siya bumalik sapagka’t kinailangang
tiyakin niya na makakaya ng dibdib niya ang pagtungo rito upang sariwain
ang nakalipas.
“Tatlumpu’t isang taon na nang lisanin ko ang Boston at ang pagpunta rito
sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon pagkalipas ng matagal na panahon ay sumariwa
sa aking isip ang maraming alaala. Dito sa Boston ko naranasan ang aking
unang snowfall,” sabi ng Pangulo sa pagtitipon ng mga Pilipino-Amerikano sa
Robsham Theater ng Boston College.
“Sa inyong nakaaalaala sa akin bilang tagapagpasyal ng aso, karpintero,
tubero, tagabitbit ng mga maleta, mekaniko, tsuper at iba pa bilang isang
binatang matinding hirap ang nadarama kapag panahon ng malalamig na winter,
marahil ay naiisip ninyong ‘napakalaki ng pagbabagong nangyari,’ kung saan
ang Boston ay gumanap ng napakahalagang papel,” dugtong pa ng Pangulong
Aquino.
Sinabi ng Pangulong Aquino na utang niya sa Boston at sa kanilang mga
kaibigan dito ang “sense of normalcy” na ipinagkaloob sa pamilya niya
habang pinipilit nilang unawain ang pagpapakasakit na tinitiis nilang mag-anak
sa ilalim ng diktadurya ng noon ay Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos.
“Dito sa Boston ko natutuhan ang halaga ng pagmumuni-muni. Itinuturing ko
ang panahon ng pamamalagi ko rito bilang yugtong nagpatatag sa akin upang
ipagpatuloy ang pakikibaka at nagbigay sa akin ng sandatang mahahalagang
karanasan. Dito sa Boston, salamat sa aking mga kaibigan, nabigyan kami ng
matitirahan na ligtas sa pag-uusig ng diktadurya,” wika pa ng Pangulong
Aquino.
Ang Pangulong Aquino ay nanirahan sa Boston mula 1980 hanggang 1983. Siya
noon ay nasa edad nang 20 taon at katatapos lamang ng pag-aaral sa Ateneo
de Manila University.
Naalaala niya ang masinsinang pag-uusap nila ng yumao niyang ama, Senador
Benigno Aquino, Jr. nang mga taong iyon at kung paanong ang mga pag-uusap
na ito ay naging gabay niya kapag kailangan siyang gumawa ng mabibigat na
pasiya.
“Ang nasusulat sa Bibliya ang sinabi sa akin ng aking ama na “Kung hindi
tama ang panahon, walang magagawa ang isang libo mang propeta, subali’t
kung tama ang panahon, hindi na kailangan ni isang propeta.” At
napatunayang tama siya. Ang pagkamatay ng aking Ama ang nagpasimula ng
isang bagong kilusan ukol sa pagbabago,” salaysay ng Pangulo.
Ang pagpaslang sa ama ng Pangulo noong Agosto 21, 1983 ang nagsilbing titis
na nagpaliyabsa mapayapang himagsikan sa Pilipinas na nagluklok sa kanyang
biyuda, Corazon Aquino bilang Pangulo ng Pilipinas. Ang Pangulong Aquino
naman ang sumunod sa yapak ng magulang niya sa kahilingan ng sambayanan
nang mahalal siyang Pangulo noong 2010.
“Sa akin, ang panahong inilagi namin sa Boston ay laging mauugnay sa
rebolusyong nagbalik ng demokrasya at ng aming pambansang dangal. Ang
pagkakaisang sumapuso namin buhat sa Boston College at ang komunidad dito
ang pasimula ng pagkakaisang ipinakita ng milyun-milyong Pilipinong
nagtipon sa EDSA. Hindi kalabisang sabihing ang Boston ay bahagi ng buhay
naming mag-anak,” dugtong pa ng Pangulo.
Pinasalamatan ng Pangulo ang komunidad ng Boston College, gayundin ang mga
paring Heswita na itinuturing niyang kabilang sa humabi ng kanyang kaisipan
sa pag-aaral at paglaki.
“Kung mayroon akong nagawang ano man, palagay ko, ang dapat bigyang kredito
rito ay ang mga Heswita sa kalahati man lamang ng aking nalalaman ngayon,”
wika pa ng Pangulong Aquino na kanyang nasabi kay Pari Wiiliam Leahy na
siyang nagmisa nang magsimba siya sa Simbahan ng St. Ignatius bago ginanap
ang programa rito.
Ikinuwento ng Pangulo ang tungkol sa kanyang ina at sinabing: ”Nang dumalaw
siya sa Boston sa tagsibol ng demokrasyang Pilipino noong 1986, sinabi ni
Mom sa mga komunidad dito na: 'Nawa, ang alaalang inyong itinayo rito ay
painitin ng pagmamahal ng mga Pilipino na tulad ko, nakatagpo ng tahanan sa
Boston, ng kagandahang-loob at mabuting pagkikisama'," PND (hdc/zaf)
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Inihayag
ng Malacanang ang mga bagong pinuno ng pamahalaan
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Nagtalaga ang Pangulong
Benigno S. Aquino III ng bagong 12 pinuno ng iba-ibang tanggapan ng
pamahalaan alinsunod sa pahayag ng Malacanang Lunes.
Sinabi ni Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte sa pulong balitaan
sa Malacanang na itinalaga ng Pangulong Aquino si Victor Jose Luciano
bilang kagawad ng Civil Aeronautics Board sa ilalim ng Kagawaran ng
Trasportasyon at Komunikasyon.
Hinirang din ng Pangulo si Emigdio Tanjuatco III bilang presidential/chief
executive officer at kagawad ng Lupon ng mga Direktor ng Clark
International Airport Corporationat Alipio Fernandez, Jr. at Ramil Guiao
bilang mga kagawad ng Lupon ng mga Direktor ng korporasyon.
Sa Kagawaran ng Kalusugan ay itinalaga naman si Valeriano Lopez bilang
Direktor IV at sina Celia Carlos at Ruby Constantino bilang mga Acting
Director III.
Ang iba pang hinirang ng Pangulo ay sina Lea Delfinado, Direktor III ng
Kagawaran ng Pagawaing Bayan at Pambansang Lansangan; Danilo Enriquez,
Direktor IV ng Bureau of Philippine Standards sa Kagawaran ng Kalakal at
Industriya; Briccio Santos bilang tagapangulo ng Film Development Council
ng Pilipinas; Gregorio Ramon Tiongson bilang kagawad na kumakatawan sa
sektor ng kabataan sa ilalim ng Legislative-Executive Development Advisory
Council; at Reginald Villasanta bilang pangalawang kalihim sa Tanggapan ng
Pangulo. PND(ag/zaf)
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Pinasalamatan ng Pangulong Aquino ang
Boston College sa pagbibigay ng iskolarsip na alaala sa mga magulang niya
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts)
Nagpasalamat ang Pangulong Benigno S. Aquioo III sa komunidad ng Boston
College Linggo sa pagpaparangal sa kanyang mga magulang, Senador Benigno
Aquino, Jr. at Pangulong Corazon Aquino sa pagpapalit pangalan ng Asian
American Scholarship sa mga ito.
“Sa tahanang ito na malayo sa aming tahanan, dapat ko ring ihayag ang
taos-puso kong pagpapasalamat sa Boston College sa ginawa nilang pagsunod
sa pangalan ng aking mga magulang sa Asian American Scholarship noon pang
2010,” wika ng Panguoo sa palatuntunang ginanap ng mga Pilipino-Amerikano
sa Robsham Theater ng Boston College.
Ang Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholarship ay ipinagkakaloob sa mahuhusay,
masisipag at magigiting na mag-aaral na Asyano at Asyano-Amerikano na
pumapasok sa kanilang senior year sa Boston College.
“Napakalaking halaga ang iniuukol nina Mom at Dad sa edukasyon. Naniniwala
silang maaaring maging tanyag ang isang tao balang araw at wala nang
katuturan pagkatapos; maaaring maging mayaman siya ngayon at bukas ay ni
wala kahit isang kusing. Subali’t ang edukasyon ay isang palagiang
kayamaman. Sa sandaling magkaroon ka nito, hindi na ito maaaring mawala sa
iyo,” sabi ng Pangulo sa mga mag-aaral ng kolehiyo.
“Lahat kayong mag-aaral dito ang pag-asa at pangarap ng inyong mga magulang
at mga kababayan. Nahaharap kayo sa pagsubok na puspusang balansihin ang
inyong pag-aaral salig sa hamong Ignatian na maging lalaki o babae
alang-alang sa iba, na ialay ninyo ang higit sa inyong sarili at maging
tunay na liwanag ng Maykapal sa daigdig,” wika ng Pangulo.
Lahat ng maraming dakilang Asyano at Asyano-Amerikano na kumakatawan sa
simulain ng programang iskolarsip na ito ay angkop lamang isinunod ang
pangalan sa mga magulang ng Pangulong Aquino ayon kay Propesor Min Hyoiong
Song, Tagapangulo ng Boston College,para sa Aquino Scholarship at Direktor
ng Asian-American Studies Program.
“Ang personal na gustong-gusto ko sa pangalan—Benigno at Corazon Aquino—ay
nagsasabi ito sa atin ng suliranin ukol sa katarungan. Ayon dito, sino mang
makapangyarihan ay maaaring hindi makita ang katuparan ng mga pangarap niya
para sa katarungan, subali’t, wala pa rin siyang tigil sa pagtataguyod at
tapang na makamtan ang katarungan,” wika ni Song.
“Sakaling mabigo ang sino man, tiyak na may susunod sa yapak niya para
ipagpatuloy ang pakikibaka. Ang taong iyon ang magiging ispirasyon ng iba
pa at ipagpapatulopy tuwina ang nasabing laban sapagka’t hindi natatapos
ang pakikibaka para sa katarungan. Palagay ko, ang iskolarsip na ito balang
araw ay lubusang mauunawaan at lalasapin ng mga estudyante,” dugtong pa ni
Song.
Nakausap ng Pangulo rito ang ilang tumanggap ng Asian and Asian-American Scholarship
Program, kabilang si Matt Alonsozana na nagsalita sa ngalan ng kapuwa niya
iskolar at nagpasalamat sa panauhing Pangulo ng Pilipinas.
“G. Pangulo, ang programang iskolarsip na nakapangalan sa inyong mga
magulang ay hindi siyang mahalaga kaya kami narito sa Boston Collegena
nagbubunyi sa mga dating nagawa na. Sa halip ang pagbibigay ng gawad na ito
ay isang pagkilala ng aming komunidad sa mga prinsipyo at adhikaing
ipinakita ng inyong mga magulang na naglalarawan kaya kami tinawagan para
gawin sa Boston College; upang magbigay at hindi para bilangin ang halaga;
upang makibaka at huwag dumaing kung masugatan; magtrabaho at hindi
pamamahinga ang asikasuhin, maglingkod at hindi umasam ng gantimpala,
maging lalaki at babae alang-alang sa iba ngayon at kailanman,” sabi ni
Alonsozana.
Taong 1980s pa nagkaroon ng ugnayan ang Boston College at ang pamilyang
Aquino nang manirahan ang mga ito sa 175 Commonwwealth Avenue na hindi
kalayuan sa paaralan.
Ang nakababatang kapatid ng Pangulong Aquino na si Viel Aquin-Dee ay
nakatapos ng pag-aaral sa kolehiyong ito. Ang Pangulo man ay nagsabing
matagal na panahon din siyang namalagi sa Simbahan nito na San Ignacio.
“Taun-taon, ang gawad na iskolarsip na Benigno at Corazon Aquino ay
pagkilala sa kanilang panata sa katarungan, demokrasya at paglilingkod sa
kapuwa. Kaya sa pagtitipong ito, ang pagdalo natin ay nagpapatunay lamang
ng matibay na ugnayan ng Boston College at ng Pilipinas,” sabi naman ni
Pari William Leahy, pangulo ng Boston College. PND(hdc/zaf)
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President Benigno
S. Aquino III's Policy Speech at Public Forum at the Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard University
Harvard
University Boston, Massachusetts, USA
22 Sept 2014
As some of you may know, Boston was home to me for
about two and a half years. It was here that my family found warmth in exile
during the dark days of the Marcos dictatorship. Harvard, in particular, was
a haven for my father, who was one of your visiting fellows during those
years. Back then, however, the closest I ever got to entering Harvard was
traveling along Massachusetts Avenue. I never even owned a shirt from your
souvenir store. [Laughter] Now, I am here talking to you and I hope that
later the organizers who invited me will be patting themselves on the back
instead of shaking their heads in dismay.
As a young man, I was taught that not opposing an oppressive structure was
tantamount to perpetuating it. If you recognize a problem, and choose not to
do anything about it, then you become complicit, and in fact, you even
exacerbate it. This reminds me of something that President John F. Kennedy
once said: “Other people see things and say why? But I dream things that
never were and I say, why not?”
I take the difference to be in how people respond to being dissatisfied with
the status quo. Anything made by the imperfect being that is man is, by
nature, imperfect as well. The natural course therefore is to continue
bettering the situation, to continue challenging the status quo so it can be
changed for the better. But sadly, there are those who think that that’s the
way things are, there’s nothing you can do about the status quo. Others,
though, think in terms of positive transformation: If things are wrong, why
not change it?
This refusal to settle for the status quo played a pivotal role many times in
the history of my country. It was in 1972 when Ferdinand Marcos, approaching
the end of his second and last term, tried to float the idea of being replaced
by his wife, Imelda. When that did not pan out, he tried to push for a shift
to a parliamentary government—with no term limits. However, the political
process for constitutional change stalled, and the 1973 elections were fast
approaching. At that dead end, Mr. Marcos declared martial law.
My father, a Senator in those days, was perhaps the fiercest fiscalizer of
Mr. Marcos, in conformity with the concept of checks and balances in
government. For this, he was put on top of Mr. Marcos’ order of battle, when
martial law was proclaimed. My father was jailed for seven years and seven
months, for the most part in solitary confinement. He was, however, allowed
to leave for the United States to undergo a coronary bypass. He brought his
family with him, to live in exile here in Boston, for about three years.
As late as 1983, even with the Gandhian example of non-violence toppling a
colonial regime, a lot of people still believed that it was only through
violence that freedom can be won. I must admit that back then, I was also of
that disposition. In furtherance of his belief that the non-violent route
would be most beneficial for our countrymen, my father returned to the
Philippines despite the many concerns about his safety. He was hoping that,
even out of mere curiosity, Mr. Marcos would agree to have a dialogue with
him. My father hoped to relate to him the true situation of the country, that
is: More and more of our people were becoming disillusioned with the
dictatorship; more and more were turning towards militancy; and the risk of
civil war was increasing. My father feared the dictator was detached from
reality; he was, after all, surrounded by cronies and flatterers who would
tell him only what he wanted to hear.
This dialogue was not to be. My father was assassinated while alighting from
his plane in Manila. His death reawakened the Filipino people: In three
years, they would bring the dictatorship down in a bloodless EDSA People
Power Revolution.
How did they do it? Not by settling for and accepting the way things are, but
by dreaming and acting on that dream. When people clamored for my mother to
lead them, she set down two conditions: First, that a million signatures be
gathered in support of her candidacy; and second, that there should be snap
elections. When Mr. Marcos, in his hubris, felt undefeatable and called for
snap elections, he scoffed that my mother, a so-called mere housewife without
any experience in government, could never run the country. My mother
responded by saying, “I admit I have no experience in cheating, stealing,
lying, or assassinating political opponents.” [Laughter]
Mr. Marcos assumed that regardless of how the Filipino people voted, he could
rig the results. Little did he realize the Filipino people would dare to
dream, and confront every act of fraud and intimidation with solidarity and
vigilance at the polls. In EDSA, the major thoroughfare bisecting our
National Capital Region, my people responded to tanks and machine guns with
flowers, prayers, and songs. They dared to believe that the ultimate loyalty
of our soldiers would be to their fellow Filipinos, and not to the tyrant.
When we regained our freedom, there was a popular song that said that we will
never allow the aberration that was Martial Law to happen again. And starting
in 2001, however, my predecessor, instead of learning the lessons of Martial
Law, seemingly adopted Mr. Marcos’ handbook on how to abuse the democratic
process. At the end of her regime, our people were so apathetic to all the
scandals and issues affecting her, and government’s inability to effect
change, that the overwhelming ambition of so many was to leave the country.
We have now an estimated 10 million of our countrymen—10 percent of the
population—residing and working abroad.
In 2010, our aspirations were summed up in a campaign slogan: Eliminating
corruption would eliminate poverty. To do so, we would make right all our
systems and institutions that were so wrongly tarnished and abused. Our
people dared to dream, and acted on that dream by entrusting to me a mandate:
To undo the corrupt, broken-down government that Filipinos had once accepted
as the norm, and thus turn it into an effective and efficient government
working to uplift the country.
Allow me to share with you four case studies of how we are fulfilling our
mandate for change, and how it has ignited a virtuous cycle in our country.
The first two cases revolve around two individuals: a young woman I met
during my campaign for the presidency, and a former Chief Justice of our
country being held to account by means of impeachment.
The young woman I speak of, at age sixteen, had just given birth to her
second child. She had little in terms of resources or education, and was in a
relationship where both she and her partner, not that much older than her,
had very little in terms of job prospects. Add to this the fact that there
were very few support mechanisms to help them raise their children. At a very
tender age, all the problems in the world were hers, and I had to wonder:
what would be the future of her children, who were born in such deprived
conditions? The odds were stacked against them from the very beginning.
Consider this: If a nation’s greatest resource is its people, then it is the
state’s obligation to invest in the people, to give them a fighting chance to
improve their lot in life. The young woman I met convinced me that we must
enact, amongst other legislation, one that provides access to information
about reproductive health, while respecting the conscience of the individual.
We accomplished this through intense public debate and a conscience vote in
Congress. We also undertook programs that allocated our limited resources to
where they could have the most impact at the soonest possible time. For
example, we have a Conditional Cash Transfer Program which now provides
regular cash grants to 4.1 million poor households, who commit in turn to
have regular health check-ups for pregnant mothers, among other conditions,
and to having their children vaccinated, and most importantly: keeping them
in school.
Investing in the well being of the people is the surest way to ensure that no
one will be left behind. The Conditional Cash Transfer does this on the most
basic level, but we are well aware that, as with all other challenges, our
approach in fighting poverty must be multifaceted. This is why we have closed
critical resource gaps in education, such as classrooms, books, and school
seats, while expanding our basic education to put it at par with
international standards. Our Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority, or TESDA, today partners with the private sector to ensure that
training programs produce employable graduates. We continue to work to reduce
Filipinos’ vulnerabilities to calamities by improving weather forecasting and
flood-mapping systems, and even construction standards, and by fostering
greater coordination amongst agencies. These are only a few examples of the
measures we have taken, all of which empower Filipinos and show them that
ours is a government that will always stand behind them and beside them.
This brings me to my second example, involving an individual at the pinnacle
of his career. My predecessor, who put a premium on political survival, tried
to protect herself by appointing a Chief Justice to the Supreme Court,
despite a prohibition on appointing people to office when a presidency is
about to end. Much as I opposed this, for the sake of harmony, I tried to
make the best of a sordid situation. It soon became clear, however, that the
Chief Justice considered himself accountable to no one, failing even to meet
the minimum standards of transparency outlined in our laws. To illustrate: As
a measure towards transparency, our Constitution requires government workers
and officials to declare their wealth in a signed Statement of Assets,
Liabilities, and Net Worth. The Chief Justice declared a mere two percent of
his wealth, hiding the rest in an apparent attempt to mislead the public. We
resolved to stop this impunity: Our House of Representatives impeached him
for violating the Constitution and betraying public trust. The Senate later
convicted him. His dismissal from office and the charges he now faces in the
regular courts is just one example of accountability. My predecessor and
three incumbent senators, to cite the most potent examples, are now in
detention as they undergo trial on the charge of plunder. May I just state
for the record, we only have 24 senators for the 100-million population.
It is no surprise then, that we have a more efficient, better motivated, and
better performing bureaucracy, whose services yield true benefits.
Infrastructure costs less, and there is far more of it, built with better
quality: 12,184 kilometers of roads have been constructed, rehabilitated, or
improved under our watch so far. By cutting red tape and minimizing, if not
eliminating, opportunities for collusion, the Public Works Department has
saved over P27.79 billion, which can then be used to implement the next
phases of these projects. Today, government is multiplying the benefits that
each peso can bring to the Filipino people.
Taxes have not been raised, except for those on products society discourages
such as alcohol and tobacco. Government-owned corporations, where cronies
used to be put out to pasture, no longer lose money while paying lavish
bonuses to themselves.
A rational, results-driven approach to budgeting has vastly reduced waste and
corruption, while freeing up funds: We have more than doubled spending on
infrastructure, expanded social services, and yet we have halved the deficit.
The world, taking notice of our efforts, has helped in this regard. Under our
watch, the Philippines has received positive credit ratings actions 20 times,
with Fitch, Standard & Poor’s, and Moody’s, ranking the country, now
investment-grade for the first time in history. These ratings upgrades came
at a time when ratings agencies have been more conservative in their
evaluations, because they have come under greater scrutiny after the global
economic crisis. This has allowed us to retire old debt, obtain better terms
for new debt, and demonstrate to the world that the Philippines is a safe and
worthwhile place in which to do business.
Last year, our economy grew 7.2 percent; in the second quarter of this year,
our 6.4 percent GDP growth was one of the highest in our region. Most
important of all, comparing the first semester in 2012, to the same period in
2013, 2.5 million Filipinos have been lifted above the poverty line. We
continue to make massive investments into the people and for the people, not
only to ensure that more Filipinos surpass the poverty line, but also to
ensure that those who have crossed the poverty line, will never fall below it
again.
Prosperity requires peace and stability, within our own borders and in our
part of the world. And so the third and fourth cases I will share with you
today involve my decision to meet a man who had long rebelled against the
government, and our efforts to find a path to peace in the face of competing
claims on the South China Sea.
Conflict between Filipino Muslims and the central government has torn
Mindanao, our southernmost island group, for over 40 years. In August of
2011, in an effort to engender trust and revitalize the stalled negotiations,
I embarked on what was then a secret trip to Japan, to meet the leaders of
these rebels.
At the time, there were those who warned me of the potential political risk
involved in such a move, especially if failure were to arise from the
dialogue. The question for me, however, was not one of political calculus;
rather, it was one of personal risk versus national gain. There I was with
the chance to advance the country along the path to peace; I knew it was not
something I could let slip through my fingers.
Conflict had been decades long; the negotiators were belligerents at certain
times. Both sides had committed atrocities; both sides had failed dreams and
aspirations. Hence, we needed to rekindle trust; to do so, we had to put
ourselves in each other’s shoes. Individual goals had no place on the table;
the objective was not to gain an advantage over the other party, but to
create a win-win situation for all involved. Our dialogue proved that we
agreed on a vital point: that our Moro brothers and sisters sought and
deserved a push for genuine structural reform to ensure inclusive
development. To achieve this would achieve what we all desired, which was
lasting peace.
We are well on our way towards that goal. Peace negotiations have been
successfully concluded, with surveys showing overwhelming support amongst our
public. Before I left the Philippines for this extended trip, my
administration submitted a draft law to Congress, which hopes to achieve our
collective dreams of fairness and inclusiveness in Muslim Mindanao. The task
before us: To ensure that those who have been long neglected are empowered to
reap the gains of equitable progress.
If trust and long-term thinking can usher in peace in Mindanao, my final
example to you is that there is a similar way forward, in reducing tensions in
the South China Sea. Nations in the region have asserted competing claims to
this area, which has, for millennia, been part of the way of life for our
seafaring ancestors. The question we face: will the consensus of the
international community, as embodied by laws such as the UN Convention on the
Laws of the Sea, be upheld in resolving these claims?
All signatories to the UNCLOS have bound themselves to the equitable
delineation of maritime entitlements. It grants us equal rights and also
equal obligations. As a founding member of the United Nations, we believe
that its covenants such as UNCLOS, and institutions such as its International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, provide the most rational, just, and
respectful mechanism for countries to find harmony, despite their
differences. This has informed our decision to advance two tracks of action
in addressing disputes in the sea which is known by many names in our part of
the world. First: to continue calling for the formulation of a binding code
of conduct for the South China Sea. Second: arbitration, to clarify the
maritime entitlements for all countries concerned. International law allows
for a dignified and sustainable resolution to competing claims, as
demonstrated by the recently concluded Bay of Bengal Maritime Boundary
Arbitration.
These four case studies illustrate how the adherence to our bedrock
principles of integrity, inclusiveness, and justice based on the rule of law,
have taken our country from one triumph to the next. Some might be wondering:
How did we get where we are now? Our country is not rich, after all. And,
coming into the Presidency, I inherited many problems, which, early on,
seemed insurmountable.
The transformation came about because we asked, “Why not?” We got here by
refusing to give up; and by always asking, why settle for, or endure, the
status quo when we can change it? Our experience has taken us from a party
that not too long ago was labeled as impractical do-gooders, to an
administration that few in the opposition dare attack publicly, for fear of a
backlash from all those who have benefitted from our programs; after all,
attacking our reform agenda would mean attacking the very people whose votes
they were courting. Today, even the political opposition grants that we have
made tremendous progress, which the Filipino people, of course, have seen for
themselves. In the 2013 senatorial elections, the candidates we recommended
to our people won 9 out of 12 seats. In fact, we won 9 out of the top 10
positions, with the opposition’s highest candidate winning 5th, and the rest
hanging on to the bottom two places.
This is not to say that everyone in our country is willing to traverse the
straight path with us. There is a saying about Philippine politics: There are
only two kinds of candidates: those who won, and those who were cheated.
[Laughter]
I should note that those who thought they were cheated were free to file
cases before our Senate Electoral Tribunal; but none were filed.
As Robert F. Kennedy once said, “One-fifth of the people are against
everything, all the time.” In public service, you will be criticized for what
you did, for what you did not do, and even for what you are about to do, or
not do. [Laughter] Do something right, and there are those who will say it is
the least that is expected.
And yet we forge on, because to give up would mean allowing the shameless and
the unscrupulous to have free reign over the fate of everyone else. My
administration’s mandate lasts six years, and I am determined to make the
most of it. Our challenge today is to make the gains even greater, and to
ensure that the transformation becomes an enduring mainstream of justice and
inclusiveness. It is my hope that our experiences will motivate those like
you, from the other side of the world, to be influencers, who in turn will
inspire the communities and institutions with whom you will interact.
Benjamin Houston Brown, who was the program director at the Center for
International Affairs during my father’s fellowship in Harvard, once paid tribute
to my father by quoting the philosopher Henri Bergson. Dr. Brown said my
father lived up to Bergson’s challenge to the young to think like men of
action and act like men of thought. In this more inclusive age, every person
of goodwill has it within themselves to do the same. All of you here are
presented with the same opportunity to maximize the positive transformation
in society; you can dream and change the problematic status quo, or succumb
and merely bend in whatever direction the wind may be blowing.
Men and women from all walks of life and faiths in the Philippines have taken
up Bergson’s challenge and are making what was once impossible, possible. The
Kennedy School of Government has sharpened the skills of some of them,
including four current members of my Cabinet: The Budget Secretary Butch
Abad, the Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, Presidential Assistant on
Food Security Kiko Pangilinan, and the Presidential Management Staff
Secretary Julia Abad. Julia is part of today’s delegation, and also the CEO
of our Bases Conversion Development Authority, Arnel Casanova. Jesse Robredo,
a former Secretary for the Interior and Local Government and a leading light
in our reform agenda, and whom we lost too soon, was also one of your
fellows. Despite the difficulties of public service, they all dreamed, and
dared to shape their “Why nots” into reality.
John F. Kennedy dreamed bigger, and acted on it. My father, laid down his
life, and in so doing ignited a movement that toppled a dictatorship. My mother
devoted her life to ensuring that the democracy we had reclaimed would never
again be taken away. All of them were faced with daunting tasks, and all of
them dared, risked, and acted. This is my message to all: Like JFK, Ninoy,
and Cory, each one has the capacity to dream, to die, to live, to fight, to
stand for something, to ask “why not” when the challenges seem
insurmountable. Thus can we transform the world for the better.
Thank you for your kind attention.
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23 SEPT 2014
DBM pumps P565-M into
water systems; Abad: Covers water needs of poorest provinces
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The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has
approved the release of P565 million to the Local Water Utilities
Administration (LWUA) for the continued development of potable water supply
systems covering the poorest provinces in the country.
The fund release—sourced from LWUA’s Regular Appropriations under the 2014
National Budget—will support efforts on water source development and the
construction of pumping stations and pipe lines.
The P565 million will also cover the development of Level III water supply
systems, or the actual service connection of the individual households to the
water supply.
“Ensuring better access to quality health services—such as safe drinking
water—is one of the keystones of our development agenda. This applies most
especially to our poorest provinces, where there isn’t enough potable water
to go around,” Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said.
The P565-million fund release will support the development of water supply
facilities in a total of 38 water districts in 10 provinces. A water district
is defined by LWUA as a local corporate entity that operates and maintains a
water supply system in one or more provincial cities or municipalities.
The 10 provinces covered in the fund release are Abra, Kalinga, Masbate, Camarines
Sur, Western Samar, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Zamboanga del Norte,
Surigao del Norte, and Surigao Del Sur.
“We have given the LWUA the go signal to develop these water systems and
bring reliable and sustainable water supply services to communities in need.
In the short-term, we’re after the the immediate improvement of health and
sanitation conditions in these areas. Ultimately, our goal is—as always—to
enhance the overall standard of living for the country’s poorest,“ he added.
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The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
has already released some 49,508 family food packs to augment the resources
of local government units (LGUs) for families affected by Typhoon Mario, as
of 4 am today.
As of press time, the number of affected families is already 273,198 families
or 1,226,053 persons from the National Capital Region (NCR), Cordillera
Administrative Region (CAR), Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley,
and Southern Luzon.
Of this, 14,540 families or 61,645 persons are still staying in 257
evacuation centers in the affected regions.
Members of the Social Welfare and Development (SWAD)Teams who continue to
assess the extent of damages caused by ‘Mario’ reported some 3,125 damaged
houses, of which 590 were totally destroyed while 2,535 were partially
damaged.
DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman has instructed all Field Offices in
the affected regions to continue to coordinate with LGUs to ensure that
needed augmentation assistance will be delivered immediately.
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BSP honors its
stakeholders in San Fernando
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Monetary Board Member Alfredo C. Antonio led the awards
ceremony for stakeholders of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in Region
III during the annual appreciation lunch held at the Multi-Purpose Hall, BSP
San Fernando Branch, Greenfields Subd., Mac Arthur Highway, Sindalan, San
Fernando City, Pampanga on 23 September 2014.
The Outstanding Partner for the Report on Regional Economic Developments was
awarded to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Bataan.
Through this annual event, the BSP gives recognition to BES respondents as
well as to public and private institutions that have provided strong support
for the BSP’s various statistical undertakings, information requirements, and
advocacy programs. The event attests to the successful alliances that have
helped the BSP maintain price and financial stability and ensure an effective
payments and settlements system. Stakeholders of the BSP in the National
Capital Region were earlier recognized during the awards ceremony at the BSP
Main Office on 9 July 2014. This year’s stakeholders’ awards marks the ninth
time that the BSP has held its annual stakeholder’s awards in Region III and
is the tenth in a series of 11 regional events for this year.
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General
Government Debt improves to 38.1% of GDP as of March 2014
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The Philippine government continues to improve on its
liability management performance on the back of the Aquino administration’s
commitment to uphold the nation’s creditworthiness. As of March 2014, the
general government (GG) debt stood at P4,492.0 billion or 38.1% of GDP. The
current ratio is lower than the Q1 2013 level of 38.5%.
GG debt, which nets out intra-holdings of government securities including
those held by the Bond Sinking Fund (BSF), went down amidst strong GDP
performance and slower debt accumulation for Q2-Q4 2013, as part of the
government’s priorities on proactive liability management. The combined
investment in government securities of the GSIS and the SSS, meanwhile, rose
from P474.6 billion to P481.0 billion between 2013 and Q1 2014.
Treasurer of the Philippines Rosalia de Leon said, “We will continue to bring
down government debt as part of our efforts to minimize government risk and
liabilities. As our economy continues to grow, we want to ensure that we do
so on sound and strong fiscal foundations.”
The foreign component of the consolidated GG debt also decreased from 43.39%
to 42.06% during the same period behind government efforts to reduce exposure
to foreign currency risk. As a result, the domestic component rose slightly,
from 56.61% to 57.94% during the same period.
General government debt includes outstanding debt of the NG, the CB-BOL,
SSIs, and LGUs, less intra-sector holdings of government securities including
those held by the BSF. The ratio is used by many debt watchers to assess the
creditworthiness of sovereigns.
The general government debt to GDP ratio was at 44.3% in 2009, prior to the
Aquino administration. This marks an improvement of 6.2 percentage points
(ppt) over the course of the administration.
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Organize,
activate, and strengthen ITCs, Baldoz orders DOLE regional directors
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Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda
Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday served notice to all DOLE regional directors that
she will hold them accountable for unorganized and inactive tripartite bodies
in their respective regions "because these tripartite bodies are
hallmarks of DOLE policy of institutionalizing an environment that promotes
inclusive tripartism, social dialogue, and broad-based participation."
"Tripartism, social dialogue, and broad-based participation in labor
policy-making is a declared state policy and tripartite representation is a
hallmark of all our reforms. I will hold you responsible and accountable for
the activation and operation of all tripartite bodies in your regions,"
Baldoz said.
She issued the reminder after the Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR), an agency
of the DOLE, reported to her that only 11 out of 16 DOLE regions have
organized regional tripartite industrial peace councils (RTIPCs), while one
RTIPC, although organized, is inactive.
The BLR update report also said three (3) provincial TIPCs and five (5)
municipal TIPCs are also inactive.
The DOLE, according to Baldoz, is strengthening the capacities of tripartite
sectoral bodies in the country's various industries.
“In reaching our primary goal of establishing more ITCs in key employment
generating industries, we need to be pro-active in fostering strong
tripartite mechanisms and processes for social dialogue,” Baldoz said, noting
that various industry sectors continue to explore, formulate, and implement
developmental programs for industry self-regulation; that strengthen tripartism;
and that broaden workers' representation towards gain-sharing, in turn
setting the standards for competitiveness and employability.
While the number of Industry Tripartite Councils (ITCs) has grown
exponentially to reach 227 in four years under the term of Secretary Baldoz,
the BLR has reported that 21 percent, or 48, of these ITCs in as many
industries are inactive.
In the National Capital Region, while there are only six ITCs, eight TIPCs
are organized and active, one each in Manila; Makati; Pasay; Quezon City;
Valenzuela; Pasig; Mandaluyong; and one for Muntinlupa, Taguig, and Las Pinas
(MUNTALAS). The region's three inactive TIPCs are those of Caloocan's,
Malabon's, and Navotas's.
The Cordillera Administrative Region has 29 ITCs in as many industries, but
four (4) of these are inactive--the ITCs for cooperative financing in
Benguet; and for the hotel and restaurant; for services; and for the academe,
all in Mt. Province.
The Ilocos Region has an active RTIPC and three provincial TIPCs, one each
for Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and La Union. It has also 19 (two of which are
regional in coverage) and two inactive ITCs, one each for the hospital
sectors of Ilocos Norte and La Union.
Region 2 has 30 ITCs, one of which is regional in coverage (security services),
but of the 30, 14 ITCs are inactive, and only 16 are active. The region has
no TIPC either regional or provincial.
In Region 3, there is a regional ITC on construction, and an ITC for the
sector in each of the seven provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva
Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Zambales.
It has also an ITC with regional coverage on bus transport; a regional ITC on
schools, and an ITC for the sector in each of the above provinces.
Four provinces--Aurora, Bataan, Tarlac, and Bulacan--have an ITC each for
hotel and restaurant. Pampanga has an ITC on business process outsourcing and
aviation; Zambales has an ITC for mining; and two ITCs for hospital, one each
in Zambales and Bataan. The hotel and restaurant ITC in Zambales and the ITC
for BPO in Nueva Ecija are both inactive; so is the regional ITC for hotel
and restaurant.
Region 4-A has an active RTIPC and a provincial ITC for maritime (Batangas).
However, it has only five active ITCs, one each for transport; electronics;
education; resorts; and garments;
In Region 4-B, the BLR reported that the region's TIPC is active, while its
provincial TIPCs in Romblon and Occidental Mindoro are not. Also inactive is
the ITC for cooperatives in Romblon.
However, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, and Palawan have organized and active
provincial TIPCs. Palawan also has two ITCs, one each for mining;
construction; and tourism. Marinduque has two active ITCs, one each for
cooperatives and academe. Or. Mindoro has also two active ITCs, one each for
maritime and tourism.
Region 5 has four municipal and one city TIPCs--in Aroroy, Masbate; and in
Bulan, Castilla, Irosin, Sorsogon City, and Juban, all in Sorsogon, but only
two of these are active. It has also the most number of ITCs, with 36, but
only 12 of these are active, one of which has a regional coverage (bus
transport).
In Region 6, there is an active and functioning RTIPC and one TIPC each in
the provinces of Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Antique, and Aklan. The
region has also 10 ITCs, one of which is for reactivation.
In Region 7, in addition to the RTIPC, there is a provincial TIPC each in
Bohol and Negros Oriental and city TIPC each in the cities of Cebu,
Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Talisay. The TIPCs, though, of Canlaon and Bayawan in
Negros Oriental are inactive. The region has four district tripartite
councils and seven ITCs, one each for education, business process management;
hotels, resorts, restaurants, and tourism; marine; construction; bus
transport; and ship building and ship repair.
The RTIPC of Region 8 is active, as well as its seven TIPCs in North Leyte,
West Leyte, South Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar.
The region has also eight ITCs, one each for hotel, restaurant, and tourism;
and one ITC each for manufacturing; power; academe; bus transport; and
construction. In addition, it has a district tripartite council for sugar.
Region 9 has nine ITCs, one each in fishing and canning; construction;
rubber; bus transport; hotel, pension, and restaurant; seaweeds; maritime;
education; and information and communications technology. In addition to its
RTIPC, it also has four city TIPCs, one each in the cities of Zamboanga,
Dipolog, Isabela, and Pagadian. One province, Zamboanga Sibugay, has a
provincial TIPC, while five towns, Sindangan, Liloy, Margosatubig, Molave,
and Pitogo have a municipal TIPC each, although the latter three are
inactive.
Aside from its RTIPC, Region 10 has provincial TIPCs in Bukidnon, Camiguin,
Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental East, and Misamis
Oriental West. It has 15 active ITCs for business process outsourcing;
pineapple; banana; coconut; hotel and restaurants; resorts; academe;
construction; sugar; bus transport; and tobacco.
Region 11 has an RTIPC, and a city TIPC in Davao City. It has also five ITCs,
one each for information and communications technology/business process
outsourcing; banana; academe; construction; and maritime.
On top of its RTIPC, Region 12 has six active ITCs, one each for academe;
construction; fishing and allied services; wholesale and retail; tourism; and
plantation, a merger of the ITCs in abaca, pineapple, banana, and rubber.
The RTIPC of the Caraga Region and the provincial TIPC of Agusan del Sur are
inactive, but its nine ITCs, one each for plantation; construction;
education; land transport; security, general, and allied services; wood-based
industry; mining; maritime; and eco-tourism, are all active and functioning
well.
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In Zambales,
45 disadvantaged workers, 30 of them mushroom producers, benefit from
government’s convergence with P500-K livelihood assistance
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Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda
Dimapilis-Baldoz yesterday announced that the Department of Labor and
Employment Regional Office No. 3 has released P500,000 in livelihood
assistance 45 marginalized individuals in this Zambales town. "The amount
is for the mushroom production business of the Bitsandu Irrigators
Association, Inc. of Sta. Cruz, which received P300,000. The balance of
P200,000 was released to 15 ambulant vendors from the same town, who were
given a business cart each under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency
Employment Program's Negokart Project," said DOLE R.O. No. 3 Director
Ana Dione in a report to the Secretary. Director Dione said the livelihood
assistance was the result of the DOLE's partnership with the Department of
Science and Technology (DOST) and the Public Employment Service Office (PESO)
of Sta. Cruz, Zambales under the DOLE-DOST Convergence on Technology-Driven,
Resource-Based, and Sustainable Livelihood Program. The Bitsandu Irrigators
Association, Inc. has 30 farmer-members. Association President Ernesto Bucat
and negokart beneficiary Monica Malay, on behalf of their fellow
beneficiaries, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the DOLE and its
partner-agencies for giving them an opportunity to earn income and alleviate their
socio-economic condition through the livelihood assistance. "Maraming
salamat po sa DOLE, DOST, sa lokal na pamahalaan, at sa iba pang ahensya ng
gobyerno sa pagbibigay sa amin ng karagdagang tulong pangkabuhayan. Malaking
tulong po ito sa amin bilang mga magsasaka. Hindi na po kami ngayon
mangangamba sapagkat may pagkukuhanan na kami ngayon ng iba pang
pagkakakitaan. Asahan po ninyo na ito po ay pagyayamanin namin.” Bucat said.
The DOLE awarded the livelihood assistance in a ceremony attended by Sta.
Cruz Municipal Mayor Consolacion Marty; DOST Director Bernardita Montevirgen;
Department of Agriculture Chief Romualdo Ramos; DOLE Zambales Field Office
head Reynante Lugtu; Sta. Cruz PESO Manager Meldina Movilla; and DOLE TSSD
Chief Nely Punzalan. Baldoz commended the regional office for the convergence
project, saying the real challenge now is how to sustain the farmers' and the
ambulant vendors' small enterprises so that these will really increase their
incomes and, subsequently, create more employment to the people in Sta. Cruz.
“We have been doing a lot of livelihood efforts in the past several years,
but the real challenge is how to achieve sustain the small businesses that we
assist. The convergence of national and local government agencies to maximize
the use of scarce government resources is what we need to build sustainable
enterprises and to transform our people into ‘techno-preneurs’ borne out of
their own ingenuity in utilizing local resources. By bringing
technology-based and innovation-led entrepreneurship, we are opening an array
of livelihood opportunities to the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized
workers," Baldoz said.
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Bureau
of Customs to hold second pre-employment exam on September 28
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To accommodate qualified applicants whose names were
omitted in the list of qualified examinees and those who were unable to take
the exam last August 31, 2014 due to valid reasons like illness, the Bureau
of Customs (BOC) will hold another pre-employment exam this Sunday, September
28, at Angelicum College in Quezon City.
A total of 239 applicants will be taking the exam this Sunday, 49 of whom are
applying for supervisory positions and the rest for non-supervisory
vacancies. The examinees include current BOC employees who have applied for
promotion and new applicants who are aspiring for the 1,042 positions at the
Bureau’s main office and various collection districts throughout the country.
The list of examinees is posted in the BOC website, www.customs.gov.ph
(http://customs.gov.ph/job-openings/2014/09/22/list-of-examinees-aptitude-test/).
Of the total 4,757 applicants who had been qualified to take the exam, about
75% took the BOC General Aptitude Test last August 31, while another 20% did
not show up.
The exam will be administered by the Civil Service Commission. It includes
analytical and deductive skills, reading comprehension, logical reasoning,
problem-solving based basic mathematical notions and inference skills.
Examinees are required to bring two (2) valid identification cards, such as
current Company/Office or School ID, Driver’s License, Passport, Voter’s ID,
GSIS ID, SSS ID, BIR ID, Postal ID, Police Clearance, Barangay ID or
PhilHealth ID; two (2) black ballpens; two (2) No. 2 lead pencils; and an
eraser.
Meanwhile, the Civil Service Commission stressed that they will bar
applicants from taking the exam should they fail to present valid
identification cards. The CSC also advises examinees to be at Angelicum
College on or before the time of the examination which will begin at exactly
7:00am so they can verify and locate their designated examination rooms.
Angelicum College is located at 112 MJ Cuenco St. Biak-na BatoSto. Domingo,
Quezon City. For more information, visit the BOC website at http://customs.gov.ph/announcements/2014/09/22/announcement-supervisory-and-non-supervisory-general-aptitude-test/
Examinees that pass the first exam will move to the second round of tests,
this time focused on specific aptitude and skills for the positions they are
applying for. These include physical fitness tests for those applying for
positions in the Intelligence and Enforcement groups.
Results of the first and second batches of the BOC General Aptitude Test will
be released by the BOC and CSC by the last week of October, 2014.
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Government
assistance sa Mamamayan ng Benguet, Baguio at Laoag tiniyak ni Roxas
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Nagsagawa ng pagbisita at inspeksyon si Interior at
Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas kahapon sa Benguet Province at Laoag sa
Ilocos na dalawa sa mga lalawigan sa bansa na dinaanan ng Bagyong Mario.
Gaya ng kautusan ng Pangulong PNoy, ipinaabot ni Roxas ang pakikisimpatiya ng
pambansang pamahalaan sa lahat ng nasalanta ni Mario sa Cordillera
Administrative Region (CAR) at Region 1.
"Kailangan iparating natin sa ating mga kababayan na kahit nasa Estados
Unidos ang Pagulong Aquino para maghanap ng bagong investments, nais ng
presidente na ipaabot sa ating mga kababayan na hindi sila nakakalimutan ng
pamahalaan. Kasama ko nga si Sec. Edwin Lacierda para may first hand
information siya ng sitwasyon ng mga mamamayan nating apektado ng bagyo
dito," pahayag ni Roxas.
Nakipagpulong din sina Roxas at Lacierda kina Benguet Governor Nestor
Fongwang, Baguio City Representative Nicasio Aliping Jr., Baguio Mayor
Mauricio Domogan, Police Regional Office Cordillera Director Isagani Nerez at
mga regional officers ng DSWD at DILG.
Isinumite ng mga opisyal sa kalihim ang rapid assessment ng mga ito sa mga
nasira ng magkasunod na Bagyong Luis at Mario sa CAR at Baguio City.
Bago naman mag-ikot si Roxas sa Laoag City ay binisita din niya ang dalawang
estudyanteng survivor ng nahulog na Ford Fierra sa bangin na may lalim na 300
talampakan sa kahabaan ng Sitio Bangbangayen, Buguias, Benguet.
"Nakiramay tayo sa pamilya ng 12 batang nasawi dito sa trahedyang ito,
iyong ika 13 iyong driver. At sa dalawang batang survivors na hanggang ngayon
ay nasa Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center at nagpapagaling, sinagot
na po ng pamahalaang nasyonal ang full hospitalization nila. Sa pamilya naman
ng mga nasawi nagbigay din si PNoy ng tulong pinansyal mula sa President's
Social Fund," pahayag nito.
Pagbaba ng Benguet Province ay nag-inspeksyon din si Roxas sa Laoag City
matapos na magpaabot ng paghingi ng tulong si Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos.
"Sabi nga nila there's about 177 na mga tahanan na nasalanta.
Mangangailangan ito ng immediate shelter. Meron din mga ekta-ektarya
binibilang pa ngayon, tone-tonelada lalo na iyong palayan na bago pa maani ay
na washout. So, kawawang-kawawa itong magsasaka natin kaya sa pamamagitan ng
DSWD at ng DA ay makakatulong sila," paliwanag ni Roxas.
Inihayag ni Roxas na mamimigay sa Ilocos ng binhi ang Department of
Agriculture para makapag-patanim ulit at makahabol ang mga magsasaka sa
second harvest sa Disyembre hanggang Enero. At magkakaroon din food for work,
cash for work ang DSWD para habang naghihintay sila ng ani may magsusustina
sa kanila, pahayag pa nito.
Tiniyak ni Roxas na agad makakarating sa pamahalaan ang balita sa lagay ng
mga magsasaka sa norte at mabilis na aaksyunan ng presidente tulad ng
pagtugon ng mabilis sa panawagan ni Gov. Imee na food packs, agad-agad
nakarating dito, ganun din ang pagkilos ng national dito sa post disaster.
Sinabi ni Roxas na noong araw ng Linggo, 3,000 food packs ang ipinadala ng
national government sa Ilocos Norte sakay ng C-130 bilang paunang tulong at
tugon sa panawagan ng gobernadora.
"Nakita natin iyong assessment, nasa post disaster na sila. Iyong
lifelines ibig sabihin iyong main roads, iyong komunikasyon whether cellular
or telephone are stabilized. Iyong kuryente na lang about 40 percent pa lang
na-energize so doon tayo nakatutok," paliwanag ni Roxas.
"At ayon sa impormasyon na talagang init ng panahon at araw. Not so much
on additional crew or additional na wires sa poste dahil nandiyan naman it's
really just working throughout the system. Hindi naman kasi puwedeng buksan
yan baka makuryente ang mga tao" dagdag ng kalihim.
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Roxas
seeks KOMPRe's help in monitoring GPP funds
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Interior and Local Government Sec. Mar Roxas yesterday
sought the help of civil society in monitoring how local government officials
spend public funds.
During the 1st Regional launching of the Koalisyon ng Mamamayan para sa
Reporma (KOMPRe) at the De La Salle University Science Institute Campus in
Bacoor, Cavite, Roxas explained that the government allots a total of P20B
for local government projects thru the Grassroots Participatory Process
(GPP).
He said the amount is to be divided among the 1600 local government units in
the country: P30M for each city, and P12M for each municipality.
He explained that under the GPP, each LGU will choose its own projects, which
the national government will provide funds for.
He also added that Pres. Aquino himself explained what the GPP is all about.
According to him, the Pres. said: ''Kayo ang Boss, kayo ang mamimili ng
proyekto ninyo, at popondohan namin ang proyektong ito.''
But to make the program effective, he said how the GPP fund is spent must be
monitored. ''Nais naming na may mata, mas maraming nakatutok, mas maraming
nakabantay,'' he said.
He also encouraged members of KOMPRe to report at once any anomaly regarding
the implementation of these projects.
At the same time, Roxas sought KOMPRe's help in ridding the police force of
scalawags.
He proudly stated that of the 150,000 police nationwide, 99 percent is
performing its job well.
He said, ''Kailangan namin ang tulong ninyo.''
He said if members of KOMPRe have information, he encouraged them to report
it to them so that these erring policemen maybe investigated, charged and
eventually penalized.
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Bangsamoro
will not only bring peace but strengthen country – Iqbal
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MANILA – Bangsamoro Transition Commission Chair
Mohagher Iqbal today emphasized the importance of establishing the Bangsamoro
during a Senate briefing on the provisions of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law,
recently filed as Senate Bill 2408.
“This is important because the establishment of the Bangsamoro will end the
long-standing conflict that has been the scourge of our people. The conflict
has caused untold pain and misery. It has brought poverty and insecurity to
our people. It has cost thousands of lives,” Iqbal said.
But, according to the BTC chair, creating the Bangsamoro will not only bring
peace in southern Philippines. “It will also build the country. It will make
the Philippines whole.”
The briefing on the proposed BBL was called by Senator Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
who heads the Senate Committee on Local Government, which will deliberate on
the Bangsamoro bill jointly with the Senate Committee on Peace, Unification
and Reconciliation chaired by Senator Teofisto “TG”Guingona III. The joint
committee will conduct public hearings and will eventually report and sponsor
the Bangsamoro bill during the Senate plenary sessions.
According to Iqbal, the Bangsamoro people “have been kept at the margins of
Philippine national life,” and the creation of the Bangsamoro will empower
and grant them the “opportunity to participate as real, active citizens of
this country.”
“It will spur this country’s development, as it will become an economic hub
in an area adjacent to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. With peace that the
Bangsamoro will bring, there will be more investments, more jobs, more
education and more opportunities not just for the Bangsamoro but for the
whole country as well.”
More importantly, the BTC chair also noted that the Bangsamoro will be the
“best antidote against rising radicalism, as it will show that there is space
for the Bangsamoro in the Philippines.”
Iqbal was joined during the briefing by Presidential Adviser on the Peace
Process Teresita Quintos Deles, Government of the Philippines peace panel
chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, members of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission
and members of the legal team of both peace panels.
Aside from Senator Marcos, other lawmakers who joined the briefing on the
Bangsamoro bill include Senators Pia Cayetano, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III
and JV Ejercito.
Peace as legacy
Iqbal called on the Senate to “let peace be our lasting legacy.”
The BTC chair said that “we have a singular opportunity to end suffering,
illiteracy, impunity and lawlessness. Let us work hard to make it happen.”
Meanwhile, Deles thanked the senators for giving time to a briefing on the
Bangsamoro bill in spite of the hectic schedule of the budget deliberations.
“That indicates to us how important this is, and that indicates to us the
intent of the Senate as well as the House of Representatives, to not waste time
(to act on) examining this bill, on discussing this bill.”
“I think the importance of this bill… has been made clear over and over
again,” Deles added.
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September
2014 Master Plumber Licensure Examination results released in two (2) working
days
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The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC)
announces that 493 out of 1,368 passed the Master Plumber Licensure
Examination given by the Board for Master Plumbers in Manila, Cebu and Davao
this September 2014.
The members of the Board for Master Plumbers are Engr. Valentino M. Mangila,
Chairman; Arch. Prospero A. Abellano and Engr. Pedrito D. Camilet, Jr.
(inhibited), Members.
The results were released in two (2) working days after the last day of
examination.
Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and
Certificate of Registration will be on September 29 & 30, 2014. Those who
will register are required to bring the following: duly accomplished Oath
Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, current Community Tax Certificate (cedula),
1 piece passport size picture (colored with white background and complete
nametag), 2 sets of metered documentary stamps and 1 short brown envelope
with name and profession and to pay the Initial Registration Fee of P450 and
Annual Registration Fee of P420 for 2014-2017. Successful examinees should
personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.
The date and venue for the oathtaking ceremony of the new successful
examinees in the said examination WILL BE ANNOUNCED LATER.
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MB places
Rural Bank of Lobo, Inc. under PDIC receivership, all valid insured deposit
claims will be paid
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The Monetary Board (MB) placed the Rural Bank of Lobo,
Inc. under the receivership of the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation
(PDIC) by virtue of MB Resolution No. 1438 dated September 18, 2014. As
Receiver, PDIC took over the bank on September 19, 2014.
Rural Bank of Lobo is a four-unit rural bank with Head Office located in
Poblacion, Lobo, Batangas. Its branches are located in Batangas City, Lipa
City and Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Latest available records show that as of June
30, 2014, Rural Bank of Lobo had 4,324 accounts with total deposit
liabilities of P129.3 million. A total of 4,300 deposit accounts or 99.4% of
the accounts have balances of P500,000 or less and are fully covered by
deposit insurance. Estimated total insured deposits amounted to P124.4
million or 96.2% of the total deposits.
PDIC said that upon takeover of the bank, 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.
The PDIC also announced that it will conduct a Depositors-Borrowers Forum on
September 29, 2014 to inform depositors of the requirements and procedures
for filing deposit insurance claims. Claim forms will be distributed during
the Forum. The schedule and venue of the Forum will be posted at the bank
premises and in the PDIC website, www.pdic.gov.ph. The claim forms and the
requirements and procedures for filing are likewise available for downloading
from the PDIC website.
Depositors may update their addresses with the PDIC representatives at the
bank premises using the Mailing Address Update Forms to be furnished by PDIC
representatives. Duly accomplished Mailing Address Update Forms should be
submitted to PDIC representatives accompanied by a photo-bearing ID with
signature of the depositor. Depositors may update their addresses until
September 29, 2014.
Depositors with valid deposit accounts with balances of P50,000.00 and below
need not file deposit insurance claims. But depositors who have outstanding
obligations with Rural Bank of Lobo including co-makers of the obligations,
or have incomplete and/or have not updated their addresses with the bank,
regardless of amount, should file deposit insurance claims.
For depositors who do not need to file deposit insurance claims, PDIC will
start sending payments by mail to their addresses based on bank records by
the first week of October, 2014.
For depositors who are required to file deposit insurance claims, the PDIC
will start claims settlement operations for these accounts not later than the
second week of October, 2014. The schedule of the claims settlement
operations will be announced through notices to be posted in the bank
premises and other public places as well as through the PDIC website,
www.pdic.gov.ph.
According to the latest Bank Information Sheet (BIS) as of June 30, 2014
filed by the Rural Bank of Lobo with the PDIC, the bank is owned by Mary Ann
R. Luz (38.28%), Ricarda L. Puno (7.54%), Norberto Q. Villar (6.69%), Jose
Antonio R. Luz (6.22%), Arnulfo F. Go (5.59%), Efren R. Jabla (5.59%),
Domingo F. Gonzales (4.3%), Angel V. Ornedo, Jr. (4.3%), Jose Pio R. Luz
(3.71%), Eugenio C. Agapay (2.98%), Alfredo R. Bautista (2.53%), Magnificat
Foundation, Inc. (2.07%), and Marie Rose L. Lotilla (2.05%). Its Chairman and
President is Mary Ann R. Luz.
For more information, depositors may communicate with PDIC Public Assistance
personnel stationed at the bank premises or call the PDIC Public Assistance
Hotlines at (02) 841-4630 to (02) 841-4631, or send their e-mail to
pad@pdic.gov.ph. Depositors outside Metro Manila may call the PDIC Toll Free
Hotline at 1-800-1-888-PDIC (7342).
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TESDA
expands ties in France for tech-voc training
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The Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) has expanded its partnership in France with foreign and
local private institutions to provide training and technical assistance for
specialized skills.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in Paris among TESDA, the
Association of Carriers and Equipment Lessors (ACEL) Inc. and the Assistance
Formation Conseils aux Enterprises Group (AFCE) will bind the agencies to
cooperate to facilitate education and training collaboration for heavy equipment
machine operation and safety in the construction industry.
Signing for ACEL was its president, Lito Garcia, while AFCE was represented
by its chairman Eric Pierson.
"The understanding will result in more and better training
opportunities for our youth, especially those aiming to enter the
construction industry, and the creation of decent jobs that would stimulate
the local economy," TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva said.
"TESDA will take advantage to the fullest extent possible the opportunities
provided by this deal to learn from the French vocational education model,
exchange best practices and share resources for the development of technical
vocational education and training (TVET) in the Philippines," Villanueva
added.
The fields and forms of cooperation will focus on competency standards
development, and assessment and certification, particularly in skills
assessment for migration and occupational purposes.
It will also delve on benchmarking of occupational standards and qualifications;
capability-building of TVET assessors and trainers; promoting networks to
share successful models; and, interaction through meetings, conference and
symposia.
AFCE is a private group of companies in France, engaged in training,
technical assistance and expert advice in heavy equipment machine operations
and safety in the construction industry.
ACEL is known in the Philippines as a private association of the equipment
leasing for the construction industries and other allied related industries.
TESDA and ACEL have an ongoing partnership in the Philippines for the
training of potential workers needed in the construction industry.
Villanueva said the deal came at an opportune time when the construction
industry in the Philippines continues to boom, and as such, would entail high
demand for skilled workers.
"We will be happy to pick up lessons from France, which we know
prioritizes education and life-long learning, and which equips itself with
the one of the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the
world," he said.
Earlier in Germany, Villanueva signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement with
the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) for
vocational training research and development.
The TESDA chief also witnessed the signing of a Joint Declaration of Intent
between the Philippines and Germany in furthering technical vocational
education and training through consultancy, technical assistance, and
exchange of information, experiences, best practices, joint research, study
tours and expert meetings.
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Senate
forum calls for labor reforms to create more jobs, achieve inclusive growth
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The effects of labor regulations such as the minimum
wage policy should be considered if government is really serious about
creating jobs and pursuing inclusive growth.
This was stressed by Dr. Vicente Paqueo, visiting research fellow of state
think-tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), in a forum at
the Senate on September 18 organized by the Senate Economic Planning Office
and PIDS. The forum is part of the nationwide celebration of the 12th
Development Policy Research Month spearheaded by PIDS.
A study by Paqueo, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Aniceto Orbeta, and PIDS
consultants Lorenzo Lanzona and Dean Dulay revealed the damaging effects of
the increases in minimum wage. `It reduces the demand for workers in small
firms and also results in lower household incomes"20 percent less based
on our computation,` Orbeta explained.
That the study showed that small firms are hit hard by the minimum wage
policy is particularly relevant for the Philippines as they comprise the bulk
of registered businesses and collectively account for majority of employment.
With increases in minimum wage, they are forced to cut worker hours, decrease
size, or stop operating. This creates a negative multiplier effect on
household incomes and thus exacerbates poverty.
Paqueo and Orbeta clarified that they are not calling for the abolition of
minimum wage. `What we are saying is that we should moderate minimum wage
increases because they do not necessarily mean better incomes for the poor.
If labor regulations stifle the incentive of firms to be productive, to
employ people, then you are shooting yourself in the foot,` Paqueo said.
Paqueo added that the use of public revenues to reduce the gap between the
wage generated by the market and what is considered as decent wage should be
looked at.
Prof. Rene Ofreneo, former dean of the UP School of Labor and Industrial
Relations, said the effects of the minimum wage for each sector should be
analyzed. He lauded the initiatives of Senator Juan Edgardo `Sonny` Angara to
push for the passage of the Magna Carta for Workers in the Informal economy.
Laws in support of the disadvantaged are non-existent in our country. Based
on DOLE figures, they comprise 45 percent of the economy. But some PIDS
researchers noted that the figure is actually higher, Ofreneo said.
The former undersecretary for labor relations agreed with the recommendation
of PIDS that labor regulations should not be looked at as the only options
available to address the plight of workers. Increasing labor productivity is
critical, through education or skills training on the job. A previous study
of the authors noted the high rate of return of investment in education.
Households headed by high school graduates earn more than twice those whose
heads only have elementary education.
But based on the PIDS study, evidence of on-the-job training is low.
Employers are reluctant to invest in on-the-job training as workers have a
high probability of leaving, especially in a globalized labor market like the
Philippines.
Orbeta said one option to finance on-the-job training is through co-financing
by government, firms (through industry associations), and the workers
themselves. Orbeta noted the government has a very big training program and
this is one avenue that can be tapped. The government should be made
accountable because when the numbers of unemployed and underemployed people
escalate, it is also a problem of government, he said. Enhancing their skills
will increase their chances of finding more productive jobs.
PIDS president Gilberto Llanto underscored the need for a labor market that
is dynamic. `We are facing a different setup yet still using old policies.
Maybe in the past, those policies were good. But now that the Philippines
will soon join the AEC in 2015, where the skills of our workers will be
pitted against those of our neighboring countries labor force, we have to
re-think our institutions and policies. The PIDS study is a first attempt to
do a deeper investigation of our labor regulations and policies.`
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Last
Updated:
23 SEPTEMBER 2014
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(Boston, Massachusetts) President Benigno Simeon Aquino III visits their
former residence at 175 Washington Avenue here on Monday (September 22).
(Photo by Ryan Lim / Gil Nartea / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(Cambridge, Massachusetts) President Benigno Simeon Aquino III delivers
his speech at a public forum at the Kennedy School of Government,
Harvard University on Monday (September 22, 2014). The forum was
attended by students and members of the Harvard community. (Photo By
Ryan Lim / Gil Nartea / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(Cambridge, Massachusetts) President Benigno Simeon Aquino III signs the
official guest book at the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard
University on Monday (September 22). (Photo by (Ryan Lim / Malacanang
Photo Bureau) |
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(Cambridge, Massachusetts) President Benigno Simeon Aquino III was the
scheduled speaker (as shown in poster) at the Kennedy School of
Government in Harvard University on Monday (September 22). (Photo by Gil
Nartea / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno Aquino III and Representative
Joseph P. Kennedy III shared pizza at Bill’s Pizzeria in Beacon St. in
Newton Center here. The President arrived Saturday evening for a
five-day working visit to the United States. (Photo By Robert Vinas /
Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno Aquino III greets the owner
and family members of Bill’s Pizzeria where he met with Representative
Joseph P. Kennedy III. The President arrived here Saturday evening for a
five-day working visit to the United States. (Photo By Robert Vinas /
Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno Aquino III greets members of
the Filipino Community at the Heights Room of Boston College. The
President came to the college Campus on Sunday (September 21) following
his arrival for a five-day working visit to the United States. (Photo by
Ryan Lim / Robert Vinas / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno Aquino III graces the
convocation and the presentation of the recipients of the Benigno and
Corazon Aquino Scholarship held at the Boston College Robsham Theater.
The President Aquino visited the Boston College on Sunday (September 21)
as well as met with the Filipino-American community here. President
Benigno S. Aquino III arrived Saturday evening for a five-day working
visit to the United States. (Photo by Robert Vinas / Malacanang Photo
Bureau) |
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno Aquino III meets American
Ambassador to the Philippine Philip S. Goldberg at the St. Ignatius
Church, Boston College Campus where he attended mass with Filipino
community Sunday. The President arrived here Saturday evening (September
20) for a five-day working visit to the United States. (Photo by Robert
Vinas / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno Aquino III delivers his speech
during the convocation and the presentation of the recipients of the
Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholarship held at the Boston College
Robsham Theater. The President Aquino visited the Boston College on
Sunday (September 21) as well as met with the Filipino-American
community here. President Benigno S. Aquino III arrived Saturday evening
for a five-day working visit to the United States. (Photo By Ryan Lim /
Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno S. Aquino III visits a Berlin train
station Saturday, (September 20) as part of his European tour. Among the
President's delegation are PPP project investors. (Photo by Gil Nartea /
Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno Simeon Aquino III is welcomed
by Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia upon arrival at the Boston Logan
International Airport here on Saturday (September 20). Photo by Robert
Vinas / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno Simeon Aquino III is welcomed
by Permanent Representative to the United Nation upon arrival at Boston
Logan International Airport here on Saturday (September 20). (Photo by
Ryan Lim / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BOSTON, Massachusetts) President Benigno Simeon Aquino III is welcomed
by Defense and Armed Forces Attache Capt. Elson Aguilar upon arrival at
the Boston Logan International Airport here on Saturday (September 20).
(Photo by Ryan Lim / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno Aquino III delivers his message
during the awarding ceremonies held at the Philippine embassy here on
Saturday (September 20). (Photo by Ryan Lim / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno Aquino III receives the Freedom
Medal award from Friedrich Naumann Foundation Chairman Dr. Wolfgang
Gerhard during awarding ceremonies held at the Philippine embassy here
on Saturday (September 20). Photo by Ryan Lim / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno S. Aquino III answers questions
during the Coffee with Media held at the Maritem Hotel. The President
arrived here on Friday (September 19) for the last leg of his
four-nation tour of Europe to meet top Geman officials and business
executives. (Photo by Robert Vinas / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno S. Aquino III graces the fellowship
of the Filipino community held at the Maritem Hotel. The President
arrived here on Friday (September 19) for the last leg of his
four-nation European tour to meet top German officials and business
executives. (Photo by Robert Vinas / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno S. Aquino III confers the Sikatuna
Award to Honorary Consul General a.h. Dr. Gerhard Zeidler during the
meeting with the Filipino community held at the Maritem Hotel Berlin.
The President arrived here on Friday (September 19) for the last leg of
his four-nation European tour to meet top German officials and business
executives. (Photo by Ryan Lim / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his speech at
the fellowship of the Filipino community held at the Maritem Hotel. The
President arrived here on Friday (September 19) for the last leg of his
four-nation European tour to meet top German officials and business
executives. (Photo By Ryan Lim / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno Aquino III answers questions from
the audience during the Policy Forum at the AXICA Gehty lounge event
organized by Koerber Stiftung and the Asia Pacific Association. The
President arrived here on Friday (September 19) for the last leg of his
four-nation European tour to meet top German officials and business
executives.(Photo By Robert Vinas / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno Aquino III delivers his policy
speech at the AXICA Gehty lounge event organized by Koerber Stiftung and
the Asia Pacific Association. The President arrived here on
Friday(September 19) for the last leg of his four-nation European tour
in Europe to meet top German officials and business executives. (Photo
by Robert Vinas / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN,Germany) President Benigno S. Aquino III arrives at the Schloss
Beilevue and is welcomed by the Federal President Joachim Gauck for a
meeting along with his Cabinet Secretaries and their counterparts. The
President arrived here on Friday (September 19) for the last leg of his
four-nation European tour to meet top German officials and business
executives. (Photo By Robert Vinas / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno S. Aquino III and Federal Chancellor
Dr. Angela Merkel deliver their statements during the joint press
statement at the Federal Chancellery on Friday (September 19). (Photo by
Ryan Lim / Malacañang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno S. Aquino III arrives at Federal
Chancellery for a joint press statement together with Federal Chancellor
Dr. Angela Merkel on Friday (September 19). (Photo by Ryan Lim /
Malacañang Photo Bureau) |
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(BERLIN, Germany) President Benigno S. Aquino III is welcomed by Federal
President Joachim Gauck as he arrives at the Schloss Bellevue (the
official residence and presidential Palace) Friday (September 19).
President Aquino III and his delegation is in Berlin, Germany for a
series of official talks on state agreements and understandings. (Photo
by Gil Nartea / Malacanang Photo Bureau) |
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Please email us at
pcoo.edp@gmail.com
if you need a copy of last week's photo releases of
PNOY
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hi
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