Aquino urges youth to study sciences & robotics
President Benigno S. Aquino III urged the country’s youth to take up sciences and technology, including robotics courses which will be the wave of the future.
Looking pleased and proud on the fete of 19 Filipino teams which competed in the 2010 World Robot Olympiad last November the President said the Filipino youth’s awareness and exposure to science and technological advancements “have gone a long way” from his time “of floppy disc and black and white television.”
The President cited statistics showing the low inclination of the youth to science courses saying that of the 100 students going to college only two take up science courses.
Cabinet members in attendance were Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo and Education Secretary Armin Luistro along with Deputy Director Dr. Leticia Catris of the Science Education Institute of the DOST.
He noted that the sciences will be useful to the country’s progress and development with possible applications in security of the railway systems, solutions to flooding and landslides (through the sensors of the robots), and retrieval operations for victims of natural disasters, “or where it is very risky for humans” to venture in.
The President said he is proud that today’s youths are very competitive in robotics beating even countries known for their adherence to science like Russia, Japan and China in the last World Robotics Olympiad at the SM Mall of Asia.
The robotics champions were brought to Malacanang on Thursday by Mylene Abiva of Felta Multi Media Inc., founder of the Philippine Robotics Olympiad in 2001 who also lobbied for the inclusion of robotics in the physics subjects in private and public high schools and in general sciences for elementary levels.
The Philippine team has been joining the World Robotics Olympiad for the past 10 years. It has won in six straight years an accumulative total of two gold, one silver and one bronze medals.
“But in 2010, our 19 teams won the same number of medals in only one participation,” said Abiva.
Abiva explained that the World Robotics Olympiad was participated in by 1,012 students from 22 countries with the Philippines joining in two categories: the regular techie playing field and the open or creative field (where the Philippines got both gold medals).
The President advised the youth not to “rest on your laurels and to keep working for excellence for the benefit of future generations.”
In 2011, the World Robotics Olympiad will be held in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. (PCOO)
Palace expects better economic freedom index for 2012
Malacanang expects a better economic freedom rating next year following a slide in the Philippines’ 2011 index from 109th to 115th last year.
In a press briefing Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the survey was done during the second half of 2009 to the first half of 2010 indicating it applies to the past administration.
“That is our challenge and we hope to see an improvement in the economic freedom index in 2012,” Lacierda said.
The economic freedom index is being undertaken yearly by Washington-based think tank, Heritage Foundation Inc. using 10 components namely: business freedom, trade freedom, fiscal freedom, government spending, monetary freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom, property rights, freedom from corruption and labor freedom. It rates each country in every component on a scale of 0 to 100 points.
The freedom from corruption component came from data of the Transparency International, and based on the previous administration’s performance. Lacierda noted that the Aquino administration’s thrusts are eradicating graft and corruption and reducing poverty in the country.
The first component is business freedom. “Here we have already undertaken reforms such as reducing the time for processing registration of businesses and cutting red tape.”
He said the reforms needed to improve the business, maintain consistent policies and investment environment and level the playing field for business are being put in place as the government pushes the public private partnership (PPP) program.
“We have been doing these things and we do not need to amend the Constitution to improve the business freedom index,” Lacierda told reporters.
For the Philippines, its lower index score was 24 points for freedom from corruption and its highest index was 91 for government spending, reflecting a decision to front load a huge part of the budget for the first half of 2010 and plan for public private partnerships focused on infrastructure.
The country’s scores are: 43.4 points for business freedom; 77.8 points for fiscal freedom; 76.3 points for monetary freedom; 40 points for investment freedom; 50 points for financial freedom; 30 points property rights and 50.7 points for labor freedom. (PCOO)
Aquino swears-in new ‘Liga’ officers
President Benigno S. Aquino III swore into office the newly elected officers of the Liga ng Mga Barangay in ceremonies held at the SMX Center in Pasay City on Thursday.
Joining the President for the event was Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo and LMB National President Ricojudge Janvier Echiverri.
In his speech, the Chief Executive expressed hope that the newly elected officers of the LMB will continue to spread the virtues of unity and progress with their constituents within their jurisdiction and align their plans and programs with the overall direction that the government is taking in implementing its development projects for the country.
“At sa lahat ng mga bagong halal na pinuno, umaasa akong patuloy ninyong mapapa-igting ang pagkakaisa at kaunlaran sa inyong mga sinasakupan, at mai-aangkop ang inyong mga programa sa pangkalahatang direksyon na tinatahak ng ating bayan,” the President said.
According to the President his administration’s fight against corruption starts with the smallest unit of government as the “barangay is the first place our countrymen run to in time of need.”
The President noted that he is supportive of the Department of Interior and Local Government’s Memorandum Circular No. 2010-2012 expounding the “Guideposts in Promoting and Sustaining Barangay Good Governance” by being transparent in all transactions.
This is proof of our seriousness in promoting good governance through transparency,” the President said.
The League of Barangays is the formal organization of all barangays in the Philippines with close to 42,000 barangays comprising its ranks. It is the largest organization of the local government units in the country created under section 491 of the Local Government Code of 1991.
The term barangay, which is derived from balangay, the sailboats that brought Malay settlers to the Philippines from Borneo, is also known by its former Spanish adopted name, the barrio.
It is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward. (PCOO)
Aquino to distribute relief goods to Agusan flood victims
BUTUAN CITY, Agusan del Norte: President Benigno S. Aquino III will lead the distribution of relief goods here Friday and assess what else can be done to assist the victims of floods and landslides.
The President is expected to arrive at the Butuan City Airport by noon to personally turnover government assistance to the people displaced by the mass flooding and landslides spawned by the tail-end of the cold front (TECF) in the region the past weeks.
Expected to welcome the President are local officials including Governor Erlpe John Amante, Agusan del Norte; Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr., Butuan City; Representative Jose Aquino II, District I Agusan del Norte; Maj. Gen. Victor Felix, Commander of the 4th Infantry Division and Police Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Rafal, Regional Director of Provincial Regional Office 13.
The Chief Executive will be briefed on the effects of the TECF in CARAGA by Regional Director Blanche Gobenciong of the Office of the Civil Defense 13 and Chair of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council 13.
The President will then turn over the goods, from agencies including the Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development, to respective recipients at the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines office.
The provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and the city of Butuan will receive three shallow tube wells, two boxes of assorted vegetable seeds and 50 bags of palay seeds each from the Department of Agriculture.
Apart from these, one box of assorted medicines and supplies worth P26,691 will also be given to each recipient from the Department of Health (DOH) as well as some 1,200 family food packs containing rice, canned goods and noodles from the DSWD.
The President will also extend assistance to victims in the provinces of Albay and Southern Leyte.
As of Thursday, seven people were added to the growing list of fatalities in the widespread flooding and landslides in Mindanao, Eastern Visayas and Southern Tagalog due to prevailing severe weather conditions in the regions.
Based on the latest data gathered by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, 40 people have died either due to drowning or were buried alive by landslides. (PCOO)
