Aquino urges youth to be active agents of change
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Tuesday exhorted the youth to become active participants in effecting positive change as exemplified by the country’s heroes like Andres Bonifacio.
Speaking at the launch of the Kabayanihan Foundation and distribution of pamphlets detailing “12 Little Things our Youth Can Do to Help Our Country” on the 147th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio, the President said the country is now under bright sunlight, away from the dark shadows it used to be in, so that we can see more where we are going and how to get where we want.”
“If we do what is right now, the youth will benefit from it,” the President said at the La Consolacion College in Mendiola, Manila.
It was the second time for the President to speak in this school, the first was during a town hall meeting that marked his first hundred days.
The President told the students present that he was at first hesitant to attend the UN General Assembly in New York but was prevailed upon by his economic team who adviced him that a lot of American businessmen wanted to meet him to discuss their possible investment prospects in the country.
“I had 12 meetings where I got commitments of $2.4 billion for 43,000 jobs and we are expecting more to come. In Japan, when I attended the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, there were three heads of companies that met with me with investments of $2.8 billion of which another $2.6 billion will be coming in,” he said.
“Then the global head of Procter & Gamble told me during its 75th anniversary that it would be expanding its Cabuyao plant for P2.5 billion. Then Nestle Philippines also said it would expand its Laguna plant by P4.5 billion plus it would source 25 percent of its coffee requirements from Filipino farmers. Immediately Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala met with the Kalinga coffee farmers to break the good news and asked them to improve their production,” the President said.
He pointed out that under his administration change has happened even in the “most corrupt” agency like the Department of Public Works and Highways which stopped the anomalous diversions of the P600 million remaining Calamity Fund for storms Ondoy and Pepeng. He added that DPWH stopped disbursing it and as a result the country saved P300 to P400 million.
The President also spoke of a semiconductor company called Japan Does Corp., which count 70 Filipino engineers, among its most competent people with headquarters in Japan. It also has 800 Filipino engineers based here. The company prefers to hire Filipino engineers because they are among the most ingenious and talented.
Another source of “strength” for the President is his friend, long settled and very successful in Singapore, who “just packed up and returned to the Philippines. When he was asked why he made such a move, my friend said I see a lot of change in my country and I want to be part of that change.”
“Your obligation is to study well so you will do what’s right for your generation,” the President said of his mother, the late President Cory Aquino telling him during the Martial Law years when he wanted to do something more than just study. This, he said, is also his message to the youth of today.
“A lot more positive changes have been happening. Let us be part in bringing about such change,” the President stressed. (PCOO)
Aquino urges youth to follow ‘12 Little Things’ to help the country”
After joining the mass recitation of the long “Panata” or the youth’s commitment to effect change and be part of the solution, President Benigno S. Aquino III on Tuesday read his interpretation of the pamphlet on “12 Little Things Our Youth Can Do To Help Our Country.”
The Chief Executive was the speaker at the launch of the Kabayanihan Foundation and the release of the pamphlet marking the 147th birth anniversary of Katipunan founder, Andres Bonifacio at the La Consolacion College in Mendiola Tuesday night.
First of the 12 little things is “Be On Time, Honor Your Commitments” where the Foundation commits to make the notorious “Filipino Time” as “on time, all the time.”
The President read through the second and third, “Fall in Line, Respect Others” and “Sing our national anthem with pride” speeding through the fourth, “Study well. Give your best in everything you do.”
Here, he recalled his mother, the late President Cory Aquino, always telling him that “your obligation is to study well so you will do what’s right in your generation,” an advice, he said, that would be apt for today’s youth.
On the fifth, “Do not cheat or steal. Report any crime or illegal act,” the President recalled that just Monday night four hijackers who accosted a loaded truck were arrested by the police in less than 24 hours. “You can do much in reporting crimes,” he said.
Then he again read through the sixth item, “Conserve water, plant a tree and dispose your garbage properly.
On the seventh, “do not smoke, avoid drugs and stay away from vices,” the President candidly said, “this is hard for me. But for those who have not yet started smoking, do not even start.” And this one brought loud laughter in the jampacked auditorium.
The eighth was “Buy Pinoy. Do not buy fake or smuggled goods,” to which the President said “let us help create more jobs here by buying our own so our countrymen do not need to go abroad for work.”
The ninth is “Save, invest and learn business early,” an option that he encouraged the youth to take.
The 10th, “During elections, vote for and support the best candidate.” Here the President recalled that in the May 2010 elections he easily garnered 59 percent of the vote, and the rest shared by his rivals. Of his votes, many came from the youth. He said his debt of gratitude is to his countrymen.
The 11th was “respect our elders, practice mano, po,” to which the President joked, you can make “mano” to Alex Lacson, one of the founders of Kabayanihan Foundation. “To me, just shake my hands,” a joke that meant he did not want to be treated like an elderly. Still, he said, “it is very important to keep this truly Filipino tradition going.”
On the 12th, “Pray for our country and our people,” the President enjoined the youth “not just to pray hard for the country and its people but also to do your share in nation building and in being part of the positive change.”
He also urged the youth to be active participants in discourses about helping the country move forward and project the positive. (PCOO)
Aquino to address Renewable Energy Conference
President Benigno S. Aquino III will keynote the two-day Renewable Energy Conference and Expo Manila 2010 slated Dec. 2 and 3 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City.
The Conference has for its theme “From Policies to Action: Generating Impacts in 2010 and Beyond.” It is by far, the biggest gathering of renewable energy stakeholders since the passage of the Renewable Energy Act in 2008.
Organized by the Renewable Energy (RE) Coalition, in cooperation with the Department of Energy (DOE), the conference responds to the stakeholders’ clamor to scale up efforts to hasten the development of the renewable energy sector.
It also seeks to address long-term issues that have kept the country from making full use of its renewable energy potential, estimated to stand at 247,000 MW, based on estimates of the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Although the Philippines is a member of the global community of more than 100 countries that have adopted policies promoting renewable energy use and development, and is the second largest producer of geothermal energy in the world, the growth of its renewable energy sector has lagged behind that of other countries.
As of last year, the share of renewable energy in the Philippines was down to 42.13 percent from the 45.58 percent share of 2001. Similarly, the share of renewable energy in power generation in last year was 32.5 percent, much lower than the 37.29 percent 2001 figure.
Moreover, the new renewable energy capacity grew by an average of 173 MW per year from 2002-2006, far behind global renewable energy capacity growth at rates of 15-30% annually across the different renewable energy sectors during the same period.
Among the issues to be discussed by stakeholders are regulatory hurdles, technical barriers, and financing challenges which can affect the sustainability of renewable energy projects. (PCOO)
Aquino bares P62-million public-private partnership
President Benigno S. Aquino III announced Wednesday the allocation of P62-million to a public-private partnership to further promote the Information and Communications-Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry in recognition of its significant contribution to the national economy.
In a speech at the inauguration of three new facilities of IBM Philippines at the UP-Ayala Technohub along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City Wednesday, the President said the IT-BPO sector from a virtual non-entity in 2001 has earned the sunshine industry status by generating over $9 billion in revenues, aside from employing close to 550,000 full-time individuals in 2009 alone.
The President said the back-office sector has also already hired 86,000 individuals, while 35,000 were employed in IT outsourcing this year.
“You have contributed 10.2 percent of the growth of the Services sector, which comprises about 49.5 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In the second quarter of 2010, you have already contributed 3.2 percent to the GDP growth, he said.
The President said the sector is expected to gain some $12-13 billion in revenues by next year, and even rise to as much as $100 billion by 2020 or about 20 percent of the market share in the global industry.
With jobs generation among his priorities, the President said government will further develop the industry through a public-private partnership between the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) which will allow IT-BPO firms to recruit faster by equipping Filipino jobseekers with the appropriate skills.
“We have already allocated a 62-million-peso fund to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines through the Commission on Information and Communications Technology. They have agreed to work together to implement activities promoting the IT-BPO industry,” the President said.
Under this partnership, the President said some of the programs include the BPAP Talent Caravans; the Pilot Run for National Competency Assessment Test for Entry-Level BPO Talent; Expanded Learning on IT Services or ELITES Teacher Training; and the Capacity Building for the Health Information Management Outsourcing Industry.
The President said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is also working with the private sector to further enhance English proficiency and technical capabilities of the Filipino labor force to successfully qualify them for employment.
Further studies, such as the Service Science Management and Engineering according to him will help ensure that a trained workforce will always be ready for employment in the BPO and the emerging Knowledge Process Outsourcing industry.
“We are confident that these projects will solidify the growth and competitiveness of your sector and will achieve goals of creating more jobs and investments in the country,” he explained.
The President pointed out that public servants must be quick, efficient, and visible in establishing a business environment that allows businesses to thrive and provide citizens with opportunities to showcase their abilities and live comfortable lives.
“For this reason, the Cabinet has pledged to work together to help sectors such as the BPO. We are in a period of daylight now. We have dropped the divisive practices that have characterized the past years and we are eager to serve our bosses—the Filipino people. Our Cabinet is one that works, and we work for your benefit,” he said.
As the second largest global delivery location in the world, the President thanked IBM Philippines for locating here in 1937 and recognizing the Filipino workforce in providing world-class service to its clients and customers around the globe.
The President said the Philippines is now gearing toward the full promotion of public-private partnerships to spur economic growth. (PCOO)
DOH steps up measles immunization activity
The government has strengthened its Measles Vaccine Supplementary Immunization Activity (MV SIA) in a move to bring down the incidence of the disease in the country.
This is in line with government effort to help the Philippines achieve the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals of reducing by two-thirds the under–five mortality rate between 1990-2015.
The MV SIA, according to a briefer submitted to President Benigno S. Aquino III by Health Secretary Enrique Ona, is aimed at eliminating measles through immunization of children aged nine-months to seven years old in one locality in a given time, especially in high-risk areas.
The Department of Health (DOH) briefer stated that this effort will bring down the incidence of the disease by sustaining the interruption of the measles virus transmission.
Measles is a highly contagious illness that continues to be a leading cause of death globally among children under five years old despite the availability of a vaccine.
DOH data showed that there are 5,175 measle cases from Jan. 1 to Oct. 9 this year, of which 21 deaths have been reported.
Measles rates in the Philippines have declined dramatically since the 1990′s, in parallel with increased vaccination usage.
There is no specific treatment for measles. In well-nourished children, the disease is rarely serious, subsiding spontaneously in one to two weeks. But in poorly nourished children, the disease often complicates. The more common serious and often fatal complications of measles are pneumonia, diarrhea and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
However, the use of the measles vaccine is a very effective way of preventing it. (PCOO)
