Aquino briefed on Singapore's Changi Water Reclamation Plant
SINGAPORE (via PLDT and Smart): President Benigno S. Aquino III kicked off his three-day State Visit to the Republic of Singapore with a briefing on the operations of Singapore’s Changi Water Reclamation Plant (CWRP) Wednesday.
The President had just wrapped up a two-day State Visit to Indonesia before arriving at the Changi International Airport here at around 5 p.m.
Upon deplaning, the President proceeded to the nearby CWRP to personally inspect the plant’s operations.
The US$3.65-billion CWRP is touted to be the largest water reclamation facility in the world that can “reclaim” clean and potable water from the sea and sewage through an intricate sourcing method by passing through the plant’s facilities such as grit removal, primary sedimentation, bio-reactors with anoxic and aerobic zones, secondary sedimentation and sludge thickening and drying. “The physical and biological treatment provided by the plant will produce clean water of the highest international standards, suitable for discharge into the deep sea at the Straits of Singapore,” said Wah Yuen Long, Plant Reclamation Director of the Public Utility Board, Singapore’s National Water Agency.
When asked if the government plans to put up a similar water reclamation plant in the Philippines, President Aquino said he would task all government agencies that deal with water to undertake a study on the feasibility of putting up such a plant.
“The first step will be to put all the agencies that have to deal with water under one agency so there is a coordinated single plan that we will put in place,” the President said. (PCOO)
Aquino to meet Singaporean officials during State Visit
SINGAPORE (via PLDT and Smart): President Benigno S. Aquino III will personally extend his heartfelt thanks to Singaporean officials for welcoming overseas Filipino workers into their workforce during his State Visit to the Lion City from March 9 to 11.
The President is scheduled to meet Singapore President S.R. Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana, the official residence of the President of the Republic of Singapore, today (March 10).
In an interview last night, President Aquino said he would personally thank President S.R. Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for being generous hosts to our OFWs.
“I will thank them for the way they’ve been hosting our significant OFW community and for the opportunities they have provided (them),” the President said.
He added that he would also take the time to discuss other issues such as the Spratly Island, and “how we can help each other towards establishing stability in the Middle East.”
He pointed out however that the further strengthening of relations between the two countries as part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would take precedence over all other issues.
“The bonding as an ASEAN bloc would be first and foremost on the agenda” the President said. (PCOO)
President Aquino thanks Filipino voters in Singapore for support
SINGAPORE (via PLDT and Smart): President Benigno S. Aquino III on Wednesday expressed his thanks to the Filipino voters here who voted for him during his Presidential bid last year.
In his speech keynoting his meeting with the Filipino Community held at the Regional Language Center (RELC) Hotel here last night, President Aquino cited the 51 percent of overseas Filipino workers residing in Singapore who chose him to lead the country and was thereby instrumental in catapulting him to the highest position in the land.
“I thank you because 51 percent of all voters here (Singapore) voted for me in the last presidential elections,” the President said.
Benigno S. Aquino III was elected 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines by garnering more than 15 million votes during the presidential and national elections held last May 10, 2010.
Because of this overwhelming mandate, the President said his administration is determined to keep his promise to weed out corruption in government.
He said his campaign slogan, “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap,” was not just a simple ploy to attract voters but an affirmation of his commitment to effect real change by implementing reforms in government.
He said through his government’s concerted efforts to eradicate corruption upon his assumption into office last year, the general landscape of the country has improved.
He said the country’s economy grew 7.3 percent last year “in spite of all the problems around the world,” after investors showed renewed confidence in the country’s viability.
Since then, the President said, the Philippines’ image has grown by leaps and bounds; earning accolades as being the fourth largest shipbuilder in the world and number one business process outsourcing destination.
The President said his government has embarked on a massive infrastructure program through the help of the private sector called the “Public-Private Partnership” program launched late last year that aims to free-up precious government funds by eliciting private funding of government projects.
Now, the government has funds to help the poor through a fresh P21-billion funding of its Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program.
The CCT or the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a poverty reduction and social development program that provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education, particularly of children aged 0-14.
The President said his government is committed to addressing the needs of the Filipino people through the continued implementation of government reforms.
“Government, run carefully and with good governance gets and regains the ability to do which is right,” the President said. (PCOO)
Government studying proposals to cushion impact of oil price hikes
Malacanang on Thursday stressed that it is considering all proposals that can help alleviate the impact of oil spikes brought about by the continuing tension in the Middle East.
“We do not want to burden our citizens so we are considering everything that can alleviate the burden on the people,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing in Malacanang.
The Departments of Energy (DOE), Finance (DOF), and Budget and Management (DBM) are studying proposals that include the proposition of Senator Ralph Recto for government to either reduce the value-added tax (VAT) on oil products or subsidize a fuel price rollback for public utility vehicles (PUVs) to help cushion the effect of recent price hikes.
Also being studied by the three concerned departments, according to Lacierda, is the House of Representatives’s proposal to amend or repeal the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Law.
Lacierda said Energy Undersecretary Jay Layug will meet with Recto next week to discuss the latter’s proposal. Layug, he continued, will also discuss the matter with the officials of the DOE. DOF and DBM.
“We are certain that the relevant agencies are discussing what will be the best course of action to take,” he stressed, adding that to spend the VAT on oil will require a legislative enactment.
For his part, Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ramon Carandang said Malacanang is awaiting the recommendations of the three departments.
“We will certainly consider whatever will be the recommendations of the three departments. However, if we are going to use the windfall to subsidize diesel, that subsidy has to be meaningful,” he continued adding that this windfall could be used to accelerate our social spending programs.
According to Carandang, Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras has said that if the government is going to subsidize the retail price of fuel for one year it will cost the government billions of dollars.
“Billions of dollars we do not have; billions of dollars that are going to the operations of government and other programs, that we have, so, we are going back to subsidized fuel price that will bankrupt the government and I don’t think anyone wants that to happen at this point,” he said noting that Indonesia and Malaysia had stopped subsidizing the retail price of fuel.
“We will not spend billions of dollars to subsidize the retail price of fuel at the expense of everything else the government is doing,” he said. (PCOO)
Aquino wants ‘Al Capone’ method in pursuing case against Garcia
SINGAPORE (via PLDT and Smart): President Benigno S. Aquino III has instructed government prosecutors to employ the “Al Capone” method in pursuing the plunder case against former Armed Forces of the Philippines comptroller Major General Carlos Garcia to ensure that the former military official is punished for his crimes.
The President made the statement in his speech during his meeting with the Filipino community held at the Regional Language Center International Hotel auditorium here Wednesday night.
“I directed the Office of the Solicitor General: the important thing is not the recovery of the funds although we would want to get the funds back. But the principal activity should be to make sure that this guy winds up in jail and I don’t care if it is because of what he plundered or the taxes that he did not pay,” the President said.
He said he told the OSG to use the “Al Capone solution” referring to the infamous US mobster who was jailed not because he was a murderer, extortionist and bootlegger but because of failing to remit to the government taxes from his businesses.
The President added that his directive to government prosecutors was meant to send a message—that the days of one-upmanship or how to enrich oneself at the expense of others are over.
“Kaya papalitan natin. Pinapalitan na natin. Dapat ang idea ngayon ay, paano ba ako makakatulong sa kapwa ko dahil habang umaasenso ang kapwa ko, paano ba namang hindi ako aasenso din?” the President said.
“So towards that end, we have been doing everything we can to: 1) identify the problems, 2) come up with the necessary solutions, 3) govern the country and 4) come up with solutions,” the President said.
A “tall order” he said but doable. (PCOO)
Singapore has high hopes in Aquino administration
SINGAPORE (via PLDT and Smart): Singapore President S.R. Nathan on Thursday expressed confidence that President Benigno S. Aquino III will be able to lift the Philippines to its expected status given his programs of good governance and the country’s large talent pool.
In a press conference, following President Aquino’s courtesy call at Nathan’s official residence Istana Singapore here, Presidential Communications and Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said the Singaporean government is particularly impressed with the talent, skill, determination and perseverance of the Filipino worker that “Singapore would like to continue and perhaps even expand mutual cooperation (between the two countries through the implementation of) a program called the Singapore Cooperation Program.”
The SCP, according to Coloma is an education program whereby the Singapore government offers scholarships and training programs to Filipinos, specifically those in the professional and managerial strata, adding that President Nathan said Singapore would be happy to continue this program.
Coloma said that President Nathan also told President Aquino that Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, provides inspiration to the Singaporean people.
“He was an advocate of freedom, a brilliant propagandist of the cause of Philippine nationhood and freedom and he wished President Aquino well,” Coloma quoted Nathan as saying to Aquino.
In return, President Aquino said that in the brief duration of his visit, which started on Wednesday afternoon, “our delegation has learned significant things from Singapore especially…how they established the water recycling program.”
The President began his three-day State Visit to the Republic of Singapore with a briefing on the operations of Singapore’s Changi Water Reclamation Plant (CWRP) Wednesday.
The US$3.65-billion CWRP is touted to be the largest water reclamation facility in the world that can “reclaim” clean and potable water from the sea and sewage through an intricate sourcing method by passing through the plant’s facilities such as grit removal, primary sedimentation, bio-reactors with anoxic and aerobic zones, secondary sedimentation and sludge thickening and drying.
The President had said he would task all government agencies that deal with water to undertake a study on the feasibility of putting up such a plant.
“The first step will be to put all the agencies that have to deal with water under one agency so there is a coordinated single plan that we will put in place,” the President said. (PCOO)
Aquino, PM Lee discuss South China Sea, MidEast issue
SINGAPORE (via PLDT and Smart): Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met at the Istana Singapore to discuss relevant issues concerning the two countries, Presidential Communications and Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said Thursday.
Among the issues discussed centered on the situation in the South China Sea and the Middle East and the steps the Aquino administration is taking to improve the Philippine economy.
“First the two leaders discussed the situation in the South China Sea, that this is an area of opportunity for economic development because of the natural resources in that area and PM Lee hoped that all outstanding disputes in the area will be adjudicated and resolved in accordance with international law,” Coloma said.
“The two leaders also discussed the situation in the Middle East that is fraught with a lot of uncertainties, there’s a lot of volatility and that neighboring nations in ASEAN will have to pool their resources and extend cooperation so that we can ride through these potential storms,” he added.
For his part, the President emphasized his government’s “continuing efforts to improve our economy specially our tourism development program.”
Coloma said that although the number of tourist arrivals increased from three million to 3.5 million in the past years, the government wanted to increase this number further through the development of additional facilities and open up air-links in line with the limited open-skies policy.
PM Lee complemented the President’s statement by “emphasizing the need to mitigate the regulatory risks because investments would thrive best when there is a level playing field and there is certainty of the rules of the game over the long term.”
“He (PM Lee) said he hoped the president in the coming months will be able to focus on his positive agenda for reforms and that he was confident the President will be able to overcome the challenges facing him because of his purposiveness in carrying out his reform agenda,” Coloma said.
On a lighter note, President Aquino and PM Lee exchanged light banter on the elevator malfunction incident that happened at the Changi Water Reclamation Plant Wednesday.
An elevator malfunction forced the President and his delegation to take the 20 or so flights of stairs out of the 60-meter deep pumping station of the CWRP.
Although PM Lee expressed his apologies for the inconvenience, the President said the incident was nothing but a chance to grab some “good exercise.”
The President said that despite the climb, he and members of his delegation including Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo and Coloma easily made it out immediately and without a hitch. (PCOO)
Aquino observes Ash Wednesday in Singapore
SINGAPORE (via PLDT and Smart): Even while in the thick of work, President Benigno S. Aquino III keeps in mind the reminder of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, to keep special Catholic events sacred by faithfully observing its commemoration.
Presidential Communications and Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said the President, who is on a five-day, two-country State Visit to Indonesia and Singapore, joined the entire Filipino nation and the whole of Christendom in observing Ash Wednesday through fasting and abstinence.
“The President observed the fasting and abstinence of Ash Wednesday yesterday,” Coloma told reporters in a press conference at the Regional Language Center here Thursday afternoon.
He said that during a light moment in the rush of attending to the concerns of running a government while conducting meetings with heads of state and business leaders as part of a State Visit, the President said “he could almost hear President Cory reminding him to observe fasting and abstinence especially because there are only two days in a year where Catholics are required to do so.”
Coloma said the President skipped lunch as part of the President’s keeping with the requirements of Ash Wednesday.
“So he was taking it very well and he kept up with the very hectic schedule while observing that,” Coloma said. (PCOO)
