Aquino back from a successful U.S. trip
President Benigno S. Aquino III arrived early Tuesday morning from his successful week-long trip to the United States which, he said, had garnered for the country $2.4-billion in new investments.
In his arrival speech at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Centennial Terminal II, the Chief Executive said officials of top firms from the US, Malaysia and Singapore had expressed their intentions of expanding relations between our countries by pouring more of their respective investments here.
The President noted that company officials wanted to expand their scope of operations in the country due to the renewed vigor and confidence of the Philippines under his administration.
“In the last week during our visit to the United States, we were able to send our message across: the Philippines is open for business,” the President said after deplaning from his commercial flight from San Francisco, USA at around 4 a.m.
“Sa pakikipag-usap natin sa mga pinuno ng pamahalaan ng Singapore at Malaysia, nagkaunawaan kami sa posibilidad para sa pagpapalawak ng ugnayan pang-komersyo (In our meetings with the governments of Singapore and Malaysia, we reached an agreement to improve our relations in the field of commerce),” he added.
“Maganda ang mga naging usapin namin at ito ay magiging mabuting simulain sa pagpapalakas at pagpapalawak ng ugnayan ng kanilang ekonomiya at ng ekonomiya ng Pilipinas (Our dialogues mark the beginning of the strengthening and expanding of our economies),” President Aquino said.
President Aquino also said that officials of top US companies Coca-Cola, Pfizer, AES, Hewlett-Packard, JP Morgan Chase, Sutherland Global Services, Inc., Century Properties, General Electric, Headstrong Corporation, SPI Global and Affinity Express have also expressed their desire to open and expand their operations in the country covering a “wide range of sectors such as power generation and consumer products, business and knowledge process outsourcing, healthcare and garments and leather goods.”
“We were able to secure a commitment of at least 43,615 new jobs in the next three years including some 4,500 in construction related jobs and because of the multiplier effect, we estimate some 200,000 more jobs to benefit our countrymen,” he added.
“AES, a global power company, will expand the capacity of the Masinloc power plant by up to 660 megawatts with a project cost of $1-billion,” the President stressed.
“Coca-Cola will invest another billion dollars in their upgrading and replacement of equipment and creation of new products and processes…while the other companies are investing another $400-million,” he said.
According to the President, his visit to the United States “enabled us to generate $2.4-billion in new investments.”
“Furthermore, we received an additional $434-million in the form of a grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation to expand the coverage of existing social programs that have been performing outstandingly,” he said.
“Masasabi natin na ang mga pag-uusap na naganap ay hindi lamang pakitang tao. Malawak at detalyado ang mga nagging usapin natin at nararamdaman ng mga dayuhan ang bagong sigla at kumpiyansa na nararamdaman din ng napakaraming Pilipino,” the President said.
He called on all Filipinos, especially those who continue to criticize his government to put aside their rantings and join him and his government’s advocacy to lift the lives of the citizenry through hard work and perseverance.
“Hinihikayat ko ang mga kapwa nating Pilipinong panay pa rin ang batikos, maki-isa sana kayo sa ating pagsisikap,” the President concluded. (PCOO)
Ochoa: Palace legal review of IIRC findings done
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa said on Tuesday that the Palace legal team has completed its review of the recommendations of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC), but has yet to discuss it with President Benigno Aquino III.
“As far as we are concerned, we’re done but we have yet to present the report to the President and depending on the reaction of the President, we will have a discussion,” Ochoa told reporters in an interview at the Ninoy International Airport terminal 2 while waiting for the arrival of the Chief Executive from the United States.
Ochoa and Eduardo de Mesa, chief presidential legal counsel, had been tasked by President Benigno Aquino III before he left last week for a weeklong working visit to the U.S. to study the IIRC recommendations, which identified government officials and private individuals who could face sanctions in connection with the August 23 hostage-taking incident.
It will be recalled that Ochoa said that the review of the IIRC recommendations was meant to help President Aquino understand the legal nuances of the report so he can arrive at “legally sound decisions.”
The Executive Secretary, however, left to President Aquino the decision to disclose the contents of the report prepared by Malacanang lawyers, saying “Let’s not discuss the details because we might preempt the President.”
Ochoa said the Palace legal team’s inputs contained “factual scenario as culled from the IIRC report.”
According to Ochoa, there is no schedule yet for a discussion with President Aquino, who arrived at 3 a.m. Tuesday, but Palace lawyers are ready to make recommendations if asked to do so.
“We are prepared for whatever question the President might ask,” Ochoa said. “We are also prepared to make our recommendations in the event that it is asked.” (PCOO)
Hostage review team ready to submit report
The legal team tasked by President Benigno S. Aquino III to review the recommendations of the Incident Investigation Review Committee (IIRC) on the Aug. 23 hostage tragedy is now ready to submit its own evaluation of the report.
In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the legal team, composed of Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Jr. and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel (CPLC) Eduardo De Mesa, is also ready to make its own recommendation to the President.
In a separate interview, Secretary Ochoa declined to discuss the content of the review particularly on the administrative and criminal charges to be filed against 10 personalities and three media networks.
“Let's not discuss it yet because we might preempt the President,'' said Ochoa.
The Executive Secretary said included in their report is the “factual scenario” of the incident.
“We're prepared for whatever questions we anticipate the President might be asking about the report,'' Ochoa said.
Ochoa said that the review of the IIRC recommendations was meant to help President Aquino understand the legal nuances of the report so he can arrive at “legally sound decisions”.
Before leaving for a seven-day official business trip to the United States, the President directed his legal team last week to study the IIRC’s recommendations which identified some government officials and private individuals who could face sanctions in connection with the bloody incident. (PCOO)
Palace cries foul over jueteng allegations
Malacanang today said it is unfair for anyone to declare that jueteng allegedly flourished during the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III.
In a media interview, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the Aquino administration has been in office for barely three months and has demonstrated its resolve to stamp out the illegal numbers game.
“Ilang araw pa lang kami sa administrasyon, napaka-unfair naman na ang paglago diumano ng jueteng ay dahil sa aming administrasyon,” Lacierda said.
“There can be several factors: Number one, are we sure that nagkaroon talaga ng resurgence? These are facts that need to be verified,” Lacierda said.
At present, Lacierda said the administration is monitoring the ongoing congressional probe on jueteng allegations.
During the last congressional hearing, witness Sandra Cam said some directors and officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), who remnants of the past administration, allegedly received imported and expensive cars from jueteng operators disguised as small town lottery franchisers.
Lacierda added Malacanang is willing to provide security to Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who also made her own expose against alleged jueteng operators.
“I understand that the Senate has its own security. And I am very well aware that if the good senator will ask for security, the Senate president will provide one for them. And if they request us to do so, we will be happy to provide as well,” Lacierda said. (PCOO)
Aquino open to dialogue with bishops – Lacierda
President Benigno S. Aquino III is more than willing to sit down with the Catholic clergy if they want to hear his position on the controversial Reproductive Health Bill being pushed in Congress.
“If they (bishops) want to have a dialogue with the President we are open to that. This was what we have been waiting for since the (presidential election) campaign,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in an interview.
Lacierda said sitting down with the church leaders is the best way for the President to explain his responsible parenthood position on family planning.
In his meeting with Filipino expatriates in San Francisco during his US visit, the President explained that the obligation of the government on family planning is to inform everybody of their responsibilities, and provide assistance to a particular method they want to employ for their family.
On the US grant of a $434 billion (P19 billion) financial assistance to the Philippines, Lacierda assured the Catholic leadership that the money will be spent wisely particularly on the administration’s anti-poverty program such as the Kalahi CIDSS, and strengthening the anti-corruption effort of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Lacierda issued the assurance in response to the allegation of Fr. Melvin Castro, executive director of the Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, that the President is “selling out the Filipino soul” in exchange for the US grant.
He stressed that such statement is unfair and below the belt because the grant has been approved by the US government and released only to President Aquino after he met the guidelines set by the United Nations Millennium development goals. (PCOO)
COMELEC allows Aquino to make select appointments
The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has granted the request of President Benigno S. Aquino III to make new appointments for selected posts within the election period covering the October 25 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls.
“We applied for exemption for several appointments…only specific appointments,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing at Malacanang today.
Lacierda said the request was based on the fact that the barangay election is a non-partisan exercise.
The President reportedly has yet to fill up over a thousand vacant posts.
In a resolution, the Comelec has announced that appointing an officer of any government office, including government-owned and-controlled corporations, whether permanent or casual, is illegal.
The prohibition covers the hiring of any new employee as well as transferring of posts, creating new positions, suspending any elected official and granting salary increases for the period Sept. 25 to Nov. 10.
The Comelec said it shall only grant exemptions unless “it is satisfied that the position to be filled is essential to the proper functioning of the office or agency concerned.”
Violation of the resolution shall be an election offense, which carries a penalty of one to six years’ imprisonment as well as removal of the right to vote and be voted to public office. (PCOO)
