Aquino invites foreign business moguls to infuse capital in PH
YOKOHAMA, Japan - President Benigno S. Aquino III pitched for more investments as he urged foreign business moguls to infuse their capital to the Philippines to make it a “more reliable and profitable investment destination.”
The Chief Executive made the pitch before the foreign chief executive officers and businessmen during the APEC CEO Summit 2010 in Yokohama on Friday (November 12) at the Royal Park Hotel here.
“Allow me to invite you to come and take a look and participate in what we are doing in the Philippines to improve the business environment and make it a more reliable and profitable investment destination,” the President said.
“We are open for business and we look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with you,” he added.
The President is here to attend the three-day APEC Leaders’ Meeting, as well as to visit the Filipino community and hold meetings with other world leaders and with investors eyeing the Philippines as a potential investment hub.
In his departure statement before he left Manila last Thursday (Nov. 11), the President stressed that his attendance in the APEC would be an opportunity to project the Philippines to the international community particularly to foreign investors.
He said that his administration has already carried out critical reforms which, he said, were aimed at effecting long-term impact on the country’s economy. (PCOO)
President Aquino’s official family to root for ‘Pacman’ in Yokohama and Manila
President Aquino and his official family will be rooting for Saranggani Rep. Manny Pacquiao when he fights Mexico’s Antonio Margarito—not just from ringside.
When the country’s biggest sports hero climbs the ring on Sunday (Manila time) in his quest for a record eighth world boxing title, President Aquino will be keeping an ear on the happenings in Dallas, Texas while attending to his duties at the APEC Summit in Tokyo.
Unlike in Pacquiao’s past fights when politicians, public officials and members of Congress were fixtures at ringside, no member of Aquino’s Cabinet is expected to attend the fight at Cowboys Stadium.
According to Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr., no Cabinet secretary has requested for authority to travel to watch Pacquiao’s fight.
“The President and members of his lean travelling team will most likely follow the fight from Japan, where they’re attending the APEC meeting,” Ochoa said.
However, Ochoa said the administration joins the entire nation in praying for Pacquiao’s success.
“We are united with our fellow Filipinos in rooting and praying for Manny to beat Margarito and bring more honor to our country,”' Ochoa said.
Most members of the Cabinet will be watching the fight from Manila.
As for Ochoa, he said he would love to see Pacquiao fight live, schedule permitting.
“When Rep. Pacquiao visited us here in Malacañang during a courtesy call last month, he asked me if I would be watching it live, and I told him that though I would love to, there’s too big a stack of papers that need my signature so I can’t,” Ochoa said. (PCOO)
Credit rating upgrade, a testament to credibility and integrity of government says Palace
Malacanang expressed delight over the one-notch upgrade of the rating for the Philippines by Standard & Poor, which it said “is a testament to the Aquino administration’s credibility and integrity.”
In an interview on Saturday morning over Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said “we are very delighted at the increased credit rating because this shows that our efforts to restore confidence in our country, both here and abroad, are on track and this can be viewed as signs of renewed confidence in our economy.”
“This will spur us to continue our efforts to improve the economy,” Valte said.
Similarly, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, who joined the President in Yokohama Japan for the leaders summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) said “the one-notch upgrade is a testament to our economic and fiscal stability and more importantly to the administration’s credibility and integrity.”
“This is a vote of confidence in the commitment of the Aquino administration to see through the fiscal and economic reforms that it committed to undertake in the medium term,” Purisima added.
He said the rating agency “recognized President Aquino’s resolve to reform long-standing issues that have handicapped the Philippine economy in the past.”
The government, he said, is confident that it would stay within the deficit target of P325 billion this year as it intends to do so through a combination of expenditure discipline and aggressive implementation of revenue enhancement measures.
“I would like to thank Standard and Poor’s for this upgrade. This will be a big boost to our public-private partnership agenda to be launched in the Infrastructure Philippines conference on Nov. 18 and 19,” Purisima added. (PCOO)
Canada agrees to review procedures on issuance of travel advisory
YOKOHAMA, Japan – The government of Canada has granted the request of the Philippine government to review their procedure on issuing travel advisories.
President Benigno S. Aquino III and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper held bilateral talks at the Intercontinental Yokohama Grand Hotel at the sidelines of the 18th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders Meeting here on Saturday morning.
In an interview with the Philippine media delegation at the International Media Center here, Sec. Ricky Carandang said Prime Minister Harper noted the President’s declaration that stern travel advisories affect our country’s efforts to increase tourist arrivals in our country.
Canada, along with the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and France, recently issued travel advisories on a possible terrorist attack in the country.
Carandang said the President requested the Prime Minister to carefully validate the reliability of information or intelligence reports before issuing stern warnings to their citizens.
“Prime Minister Harper said they will study and review their procedures on issuing travel advisories,” Carandang said.
According to Carandang, the President stated that the last travel advisory issued by the six countries was not solid enough to merit the kind of stern travel warnings it underscored. (PCOO)
Palace wishes Pacquiao good luck for match vs Mexican Margarito
YOKOHAMA, Japan - President Benigno S. Aquino III wishes the best for Filipino boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao on his quest for a historic eighth boxing crown on Saturday (Sunday morning in Manila) at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
The President issued his message for the Filipino boxing hero at the sidelines of the 18th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting here on Saturday morning.
“Of course, we will be rooting for Pacman, as the pride of our country rests on his winning the fight, with every Filipino expecting that he will perform his best,” said the Chief Executive. “With the kind of training he went through with Freddie Roach, for sure he will have something great to share with all of us,” he continued, adding that he joins the rest of the country in wishing Pacquiao well and praying for his victory.
On Saturday, Pacquiao will face Mexican Antonio Margarito for the World Boxing Council super welterweight championship title which will put him on the top of the record books among the greatest boxers who ever lived.
Deputy Presidential Spokesman Abigail Valte said in a radio interview over dzRB on Saturday, as in his previous fights everything will be a standstill once again, with everyone glued to their television sets for the Pacquiao-Margarito match in Dallas, Texas. “We send our sincerest prayers and wishes to Saranggani Congressman Pacquiao,” she added. “We are behind you always.”
Currently, Pacquiao is the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion and rated as the world pound-for-pound king by several sporting news and boxing websites. (PCOO)
Aquino thanks Canada for playing host to Filipinos
YOKOHAMA, Japan - President Benigno S. Aquino III has expressed the country’s gratitude to the government of Canada for taking good care of the estimated 300,000 Filipinos working and living in Canada.
The President and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper held bilateral talks at the Intercontinental Yokohama Grand Hotel at the sidelines of the 18th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders Meeting here on Saturday morning.
In an interview with the Philippine media delegation at the International Media Center here, Sec. Ricky Carandang said the President thanked Prime Minister Harper for the fair treatment given to the Filipino communirty in Canada.
There is an ever increasing people-to-people link between Canada and the Philippines, their third largest source of immigrants with over 300,000 Filipinos making vital contributions to Canada.
“The President thanked the Prime Minister and the government of Canada for the good treatment of the Filipinos living there. They have laws to protect migrant workers including the Filipinos,” Carandang said.
Carandang said the President also invited the Canadian ministers present to inform Canadian companies involved in mining and infrastructure in the Philippines to attend the public-private partnership conference on November 17-19 at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Harper requested the President’s help in reducing the human trafficking problem Canada where many people from Asia and other parts of the world are being smuggled using different transshipment points. (PCOO)
Aquino announces new tourism slogan
YOKOHAMA, Japan - President Benigno S. Aquino III said the Department of Tourism (DOT) will retire the “WOW Philippines” slogan next week to reinvigorate our country’s tourism campaign and double tourist arrivals within the next three years.
Speaking to reporters after dinner at the Premium Buffet restaurant here, the President said the DOT will retire the WOW Philippines slogan and introduce a new ad featuring a new logo, which will hopefully generate renewed interest of foreign visitors to the country.
The President said WOW Philippines will be replaced by the new slogan “Pilipinas kay Ganda” to be launched on Nov. 15.
The President said the government will also train tourist police and guides to ensure the safety of local and foreign tourists alike.
Earlier, the DOT said it would allocate P100 million for new media promotions including a new website to reach its goal of enticing tourists. (PCOO)
Major infrastructure projects to be launched next week—Aquino
YOKOHAMA, Japan - President Benigno S. Aquino III said 10 infrastructure projects will be formally launched on November 18 under his administration’s public-private partnership (PPP) program.
Speaking to reporters after dinner at the Premium Buffet restaurant here, the President said the first 10 infrastructure projects to be offered under public-private Partnership program are the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Expressway link; MRT 7; the Central Luzon Expressway; and the 41.8-kilometer Cavite-Laguna (CALA) Expressway.
The President said the NAIA Expressway link will connect Andrews Air Base in Villamor to the coastal side of Cavite starting from Bacoor to the CALA Expressway via the Skyway and the South Luzon Expressway.
On the other hand, the 23-kilometer MRT 7 will have 14 stations traversing Quezon City and a part of Caloocan City before ending in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan.
The CALA expressway involves the construction of a six-lane 27.2-kilometer expressway connecting Bacoor and Dasmarinas, and the 14.3-kilometer Laguna side of the expressway.
The President said the Central Luzon Expressway will start in Metro Manila and end up in Cagayan Valley.
These projects are part of the President’s infrastructure program to attract more investors and help decongest Metro Manila.
The launching of these projects will highlight the three-day Public-Private Partnership conference to be held Nov. 17-19 at the Marriot Hotel in Pasay City. (PCOO)
President Aquino meets HKSAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang
YOKOHAMA, Japan - President Benigno S. Aquino III and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Donald Tsang met Saturday before the start of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in a move that is expected to improve bilateral ties.
Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ramon Carandang said in a text message that President Aquino and Chief Executive Tsang had a productive and friendly discussion on issues related to the hostage taking incident last August 23 at the Quirino Grandstand.
“It was a big step in fully resolving these major issues. And we believe that this will be a closed chapter soon,” Carandang said, adding that both were willing to put the issue behind. (PCOO)
