Aquino lauds first Barangay Assembly Day
TARLAC CITY -- President Benigno S. Aquino III joins community leaders in the country’s estimated 42,000 barangays in their commitment to promote good governance at the grassroots level as part of the 2010 Barangay Assembly Day nationwide.
The President led Barangay Chairman Edgardo Aguas and the councilmen of Barangay Central Plaza here in reciting the Panunumpa Para sa Mabuting Pamamahala Tungo sa Tuwid na Landas, the commitment of newly elected barangay officials to promote and uphold the principles of good governance in the barangays.
Last month, the President issued Proclamation No. 74 declaring December 11, 2010 as Barangay Assembly Day throughout the country pursuant to the 1991 Local Government Code which requires the conduct of a barangay assembly every first Saturday of March and the third Saturday of October.
However, the scheduled barangay assembly last October 16 was postponed due to its proximity to the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections last October 25.
The President said he is happy in joining all the barangay leaders nationwide in the first barangay assembly under his administration which provides opportunities for the newly elected community leaders to sit down with their constituents to discuss issues and lay down their plans and programs for the next three years.
“Ang mandato ng mabuting pamamahala ay nagsisismula sa pamayanan. itinulak natin ang eleksyon dahil naniniwala tayo sa kahalagahan ng isang barangay lalo na sa kakayahan nitong gabayan ang kanyang nasasakupan,” the President said.
As part of good governance, the President said barangay leaders must lead by example and transparently present to their constituents their planned programs and projects including the financial status of the barangay.
The President said barangay leaders must also quickly respond and provide efficient public service particularly for their needy constituents.
Among those present were Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo who earlier issued a memorandum circular entitled “Guideposts in Promoting and Sustaining Barangay Good Governance” aimed at making the barangays an active partner of the national government in addressing poverty and eradicating graft and corruption.
Chairman Aguas also presented to the President his barangay agenda such as the planned provision of livelihood, rehabilitation of barangay roads, and jobs generation, among others.
The President broke the good news that he will be meeting with an investor who is keen on putting up a garments factory in Tarlac which is expected to generate some 3,500 jobs when the venture opens hopefully in the second quarter of 2011.
Among those present were some 1,000 residents and local officials led by Tarlac Governor Victor Yap, 2nd District Rep. Susan Yap-Sulit and City Mayor Gelacio Manalang. (PCOO)
Aquino eager for resolution of Morong 43 case
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Saturday said his government is sincere about releasing the 43 medical workers who were detained on suspicion of coddling Communist rebels in Morong last February by ordering the Department of Justice to drop the charges against the detainees.
In an ambush interview at the sidelines of the nationwide Barangay Assembly Day in Tarlac City, the President said his gesture was meant to show “that this government is operating under a set of laws and that we follow the laws of the land.
He said he has also directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police “to avoid shortcuts because once we trample upon the rights of others, in effect, we set the conditions for greater dissatisfaction in the system thereby fuelling insurgency.”
“People must be confident that their rights will be properly observed under my administration,” the President said.
He said when the Morong 43 issue was brought to his attention, “immediately, I ordered a review by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and she gave me the facts.”
On reports that the release of the Morong detainees is meant to save the forthcoming peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines, the President said there was no relation between the two.
He clarified that two of the 43 detainees were confirmed to have pending arrest warrants for other violations previously but the others simply had namesakes of other people wanted for other crimes. (PCOO)
