Aquino off to APEC meeting on P16.34 million budget
The Palace is spending an estimated P16.34 million for President Benigno Aquino III’s five-day trip to Japan for the 18th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, according to Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
The amount covers the costs of accommodations, transportation, food, and commercial airfares of the 51-man delegation accompanying the President for his first participation in the meeting of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders in Yokohama from November 12 to 15.
Ochoa said that Malacañang staff has already adjusted to the President’s penny-pinching ways.
“Everyone is conscious about the President’s desire to cut back on unnecessary expenses, so support staff is aware that they have to trim back their numbers to the barest minimum to perform their tasks during the trip,” Ochoa explained.
According to the Executive Secretary, other stringent measures are also uniformly applied to other government personnel who seek clearance to travel abroad.
“Only agency heads, for example, are allowed to use business class for commercial flights abroad––and only on long-haul flights to destinations like the United States,” he said. “For shorter flights, everyone has to fly economy.”
Cabinet officials accompanying the President in Japan include Foreign Secretary Alberto G. Romulo, Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima, Energy Secretary Rene Almendras, Presidential Management Staff head Julia Abad, and Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning head Ramon A. Carandang.
The APEC is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim economies that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. APEC members account for approximately 40 percent of the world’s population, approximately 54 percent of world gross domestic product and about 44 percent of world trade. (PCOO)
Gov’t set to launch public-private partnership framework in confab
As part of President Aquino’s socio-economic agenda, the government, in cooperation with the private sector, is holding Infrastructure Philippines from Nov. 17 to 19 at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.
In a media briefing Thursday, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima announced the launching of the milestone event, which aims to examine investment opportunities, profiles of public-private partnership (PPP) projects in the country, as well as policy, regulatory, and legal concerns in developing the infrastructure sector in the country.
“We will be having our PPP Conference to launch the major infrastructure drive of President Aquino. As you know, he’s addressing the three things that has held us back the past many years and that’s corruption, red tape and wrong policies as well as the infrastructure gap”, Purisima said.
The government has committed to channel the gains from the PPP into essential social services, such as those in education, health, and its centerpiece program on poverty alleviation.
Purisima expressed confidence that they will attract the right people concerned to the said conference, specifically the proponents and the financiers. He also assured that a healthy number of people from the government will grace the event, not only from the executive department, but also from other branches of the government.
“Basically, we have invited the people who are in the PPP, those that provide funding, proponents of the projects, those that act as advisers or consultants to the process, as well as multi-lateral partners”, Purisima said. “We have sponsors for this conference that are helping us, the World Bank, the ADB and a couple of private banks. This is being organized for us by Finance Asia,” he added.
During the conference, the country’s economic managers will introduce the country’s revitalized PPP framework. Implementing agencies such as the Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Transportation and Communications will also be presenting their pipeline of infrastructure projects for possible private-public partnership as well as their planned timelines for bidding out such projects.
Last Sept. 9, President Aquino signed Executive Order No. 8 reorganizing and renaming the Build-Operate and Transfer Center into the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines, in order to fast-track the implementation of PPP programs and projects.
The government recognizes the essential role of the private sector as the main engine for equitable national growth and development, and thus aims to provide an enabling environment for private sector investment – a stable macroeconomic environment, with sound and consistent public policies. (PCOO)
DPWH to launch 2 infrastructure projects for Metro Manila
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to launch two major infrastructure projects this month in line with President Benigno S. Aquino III’s effort to upgrade and decongest vehicular traffic in Metro Manila.
Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson disclosed the agency’s initial projects during a press conference this morning, as part of the administration’s agenda to upgrade the country’s national roads in terms of quality and safety.
On Nov. 18, the DPWH will launch the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Expressway link that will connect Andrews Air Base in Villamor to the coastal side of Cavite starting from Bacoor to the Cavite-Laguna Expressway via the Skyway and the South Luzon Expressway.
He said the launching is one of the highlights in the opening of the three-day Public-Private Partnership (PPP) conference to be held Nov. 17-19 at the Marriot Hotel in Pasay City. The event will focus on three major areas such as tourism, the food supply chain, and general infrastructure to make Metro Manila more livable and competitive.
Singson added that the first section scheduled for launching is the 27-km. Cavite side of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway which is estimated to cost P11 billion.
Singson said the DPWH is now completing their feasibility studies of several roads that were designed within the 200-kilometer radius of Metro Manila.
It is also, he said, looking at several expressways, new alignments of roads which include the establishment of the Circumferential Road 6 or C-6 and road dike along Laguna Lake, and developing new road networks in Metro Cebu and Mindanao particularly Tagum City all the way to General Santos City.
Singson said the DPWH is also looking into more private sector investment in the form of long-term road maintenance program and more bridge development.
Presidential Communication and Strategic Development Office Secretary Ricky Carandang disclosed that the administration has put in place an infrastructure program to attract more investors.
“The resources that we will save from the private sector participation will, of course, go to much needed social services in line with the President’s program of reducing corruption and poverty,” Carandang said. (PCOO)
APEC an opportunity to project PH to international community -- Aquino
President Benigno S. Aquino III said today that his attendance to this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit slated on Nov. 12 to 14 in Yokohama, Japan will be “an opportunity to project the Philippines to the international community.”
In his departure speech at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, President Aquino said he would take the opportunity to reaffirm ties with the country’s long-established partners.
“I leave this afternoon for Yokohama, Japan, to attend the 18th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. This is also an opportunity for me, as your President, to visit the Filipino community in Japan, and to hold meetings with other leaders and with investors eyeing the Philippines as a potential hub,” the President said.
“Most important—and I wish to emphasize this—our participation in APEC is an opportunity to project the Philippines to the international community. We have not had this esteem in almost a decade,” he added.
The President is likewise set to hold meetings with his counterparts from Canada, Papua New Guinea, Chile and Japan.
“I will take this opportunity to reaffirm our ties with our long-established partners. I especially look forward to my meetings with Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, President Sebastian Piñera of Chile, Prime Minister Michael Somare of Papua New Guinea, and this year’s APEC host, Prime Minister Naoto Kan,” he said.
The President cited the confidence expressed by Japan and other APEC-member countries in the country’s capabilities as a developing economy saying, “we are equally confident that the Philippines “fulfill its role as a key partner to its neighbors in the region – especially now that our economy is ready to takeoff.”
“The Philippines indeed is open for business—this is what we wish to convey to our partners in the Asia-Pacific region, and to the rest of the world. Our administration has already carried out critical reforms aimed at effecting a long-term impact on our economy,” he said.
“Now that we have initiated the many reforms needed to revitalize our economy, the 18th APEC meeting can serve as our platform, in our revived role as active members of the international community,” the President said. (PCOO)
