P-Noy wants NAIA repairs fast tracked
President Benigno S. Aquino III wants repairs on the
In a press briefing in Malacañang last Wednesday, President Aquino said he is leaving up to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), to come up with ways and means to implement immediate repairs on the country’s premiere international gateway.
President Aquino appointed retired Major General Jose Angel Honrado of the Philippine Air Force to head the MIAA with hopes that he, together with the CAAP, will be able to do something about the navigational equipment problems.
“Yung CAAP, binigyan ng mga kapangyarihan para maibalik yung estado ng ating mga paliparan sa tamang baytang para naman makakalipad tayo sa ibang mga bansa at hindi tayo ma-downgrade,” he said.
The President lamented the dismal state of the NAIA, saying these problems could have been prevented had the previous administration acted promptly.
The NAIA's Doppler Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Radio Range (DVOR), which helps pilots take off or land during nighttime, low visibility and bad weather, broke down last July 4 (Saturday), which caused the disruption and delay in the departure and arrival of international and domestic flights.
President Aquino said that he had received a report two years ago on the possibility of the NAIA’s navigational equipment conking out anytime due to old-age and the usual wear and tear of equipment.
But, he said, instead of acting on it upon receipt of the report, the former administration only began looking for suppliers at the last minute.
“I’m not happy, obviously, with what they have done,” the President said. “Bakit pinabayaan na sobrang problema muna bago kumilos?”
In November 2007, the Philippine aviation sector was accorded a Category 2 rating by the United States Federal Aviation Authority, resulting in the suspension of flights by
As a result of this downgrade, the European Union's air safety committee, last April forbade Philippine planes from traveling to
P-Noy vows to address RP’s investment letdowns
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Wednesday cited the lack of infrastructure, changing government investment policies and bureaucratic red tape as major economic concerns that he will address to attract investors.
In his first press briefing with the Malacanang Press Corps, the President said corporations eyeing the Philippines as an investment location often complain about tedious processing of their applications and other documentary requirements caused by bureaucratic red tape which is a bane to investments promotion.
He also underscored the importance of mobility, hinting that traffic jams arising from inadequate infrastructures often cause people notably businessmen to be late for their appointments.
The Chief Executive pointed out investors generally look for a friendly market environment that allows for speedy and smooth business transactions.
President Aquino stressed that creating a friendly investment environment would attract more foreign and local capital which would in turn generate jobs for Filipino workers.
“Padaliin natin ang buhay nila dahil ang pakay natin magkaron ng trabaho ang ating mga kababayan. Tratuhin natin nang tama ang mga tumutulong sa atin (Let us make life easy for them [investors] because our purpose is to create job opportunities for our people. Let us be nice to the people who help us,” the President said.
He added that the Filipinos’ fluency in the English language is a big advantage that makes the country attractive especially for business process outsourcing (BPO) companies.
Faeldon to go through due process -- Palace
Malacañang welcomed today the decision of Oakwood mutiny suspect Capt. Nicanor Faeldon of the Philippine Marines to voluntarily surrender and submit himself to the rule of law under the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III.
In a statement Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Faeldon’s decision is an indication of his confidence in the Aquino government that it will afford him his constitutional right to due process and fair trial.
“We welcome Capt. Nicanor Faeldon’s decision to voluntarily submit himself to the jurisdiction of the duly elected administration. It is an indication of his confidence that the Aquino administration will afford him his constitutional right to due process and a fair trial. This administration stands firm on its commitment to uphold the rule of law at all times and in all cases,” Lacierda’s statement said.
Faeldon turned himself in to his superiors in the military on Wednesday after more than two years in hiding.
Faeldon was among the junior military officers who figured in the failed Oakwood mutiny in July 2003. He escaped from military custody in December 2005 after attending a court hearing on the mutiny case but was recaptured in January 2006. Faeldon escaped anew in November 2007 at the height of another botched military mutiny that forced government units to lay siege on the Manila Peninsula Hotel, which the rebels soldiers occupied after their group walked out of a hearing at the Makati Regional Trial Court.
