Aquino signs Book of Condolence
President Benigno S. Aquino III visited the residence of Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Makoto Katsura in Makati City this morning to personally extend the Filipino people’s sympathy to Japan over the tragic Great Sendai Earthquake and Tsunami.
In a statement read in Malacañang this afternoon, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the President signed the Book of Condolence which was opened today.
A Book of Condolence is a book in which people may record their condolences after a death or great tragedy. It is opened for members of the general public to use. When closed, the book is given to the relatives of the deceased or archived. Reviewing a condolence book may help grieving relatives come to terms with the reality of their loss.
“This morning, the President went to the residence of the Japanese Ambassador to sign the Book of Condolence. It was opened today to provide an opportunity for the Filipino people to express their sympathy to the people of Japan over the tragic Great Sendai Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011,” Lacierda said.
“The President was the first to sign the Book of Condolence and reiterated his message of mourning, sympathy and solidarity to the people of Japan,” he added.
Lacierda pointed out that the President had communicated his messages of sympathy to the Emperor of Japan and to Prime Minister Naoto Kan “in separate letters in March 13, 2011 and March 11, 2011, respectively.”
Lacierda said that after signing the Book of Condolence, “the President and Ambassador Makoto Katsura…discussed the situation in Japan and the Chief Executive once more reiterated the Philippine government’s offer of assistance in this grave period in Japan’s history.” (PCOO)
Aquino committed to judicial reform – Malacañang
Malacañang said that President Benigno S. Aquino III remains committed to implementing “judicial reforms” as “he has always viewed improving the justice system as an important foundation in improving our people’s lives.”
In a press briefing on Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the government was in constant dialogue with the Department of Budget and Management and other stakeholders at coming up with a win-win solution to the budget concerns of the judiciary.
“Our approach to the budget has been to support the needs of the judiciary,” Lacierda said.
“We have always been open to a frank and constructive dialogue with our judges on their budgetary concerns,” he said adding that “we are engaged in a discussion between the DBM and the Philippine Judges Association on these concerns.”
Members of the judiciary, particularly judges and court personnel, threatened to hold protest actions last year over budget cuts implemented by Malacañang on the judiciary’s budget.
Lacierda said that although, “we have taken every opportunity to do our part…the resources of the judiciary also involve the funds given the Supreme Court from legal funds it administers.”
He expressed confidence, however, that through dialogue and active participation by all parties concerned, all issues will be resolved.
“A shared commitment to transparency in budgetary matters is in turn the foundation of a cooperative constructive resolution of the judiciary concerns,” Lacierda said. (PCOO)
Two Aquino EOs to liberalize aviation industry
President Benigno S. Aquino III issued two executive orders aimed at fully liberalizing the county’s aviation industry and benefiting tourism, trade and investment.
The President issued EO 28 “Reorganizing the Philippine Air Negotiating Panel and the Philippine Air Consultation Panel” and EO 29 “Authorizing the Civil Aeronautics Board and the Philippine Air Panels to Pursue more Aggressively the International Civil Aviation Liberalization Policy.”
The President signed the two EOs on March 14, 2011.
In issuing EO 28, the Philippine Air Negotiating Panel will be responsible for the initial negotiations that will lead to the conclusion of air services agreements (ASAs). The panel will be composed of the chairman and several members. The secretary of Trade or a duly authorized representative may serve as chairman.
Members will come from the Trade Department, Department of Transportation and Communication, Department of Tourism, the executive director of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) or other authorized representatives.
The Philippine Air Consultation Panel will be responsible for the succeeding negotiations of the ASAs or similar agreements. Its chairman will be the Secretary of Transportation and the vice chairman will be the executive director of CAB. The members will come from the DTI, DOT, DFA and DOLE.
The chairman of the consultation panel may designate other parties as observers but may appoint additional members to the consultation panel only with the approval of the President or the executive secretary, according to the EO.
With EO 29, the President wanted the Philippine Air Negotiating Panel and the Philippine Air Consultation Panel to aggressively push the negotiation to promote domestic tourism, investment and trade as well as job generation.
The President said there’s a need to spur competition in the country’s aviation industry by encouraging more carriers to fly to the Philippines for the greater benefit of travelers.
The Philippine Air Panel may offer third, fourth and fifth freedom rights to the country’s airports other than the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) subject to condition by existing guidelines.
Third freedom right refers to the freedom of a carrier to carry traffic from a home country to another country for the purpose of commercial services.
Fourth freedom right is to pick up traffic from another country to a home country for commercial services.
The fifth freedom right is given to a carrier to carry traffic between two foreign countries on a flight that either originated in or is destined for the carrier’s home country.
Under this EO, the CAB may also impose a period or conditions on the availment or utilization by foreign carriers of such additional flight frequencies and capacities.
However CAB can’t grant Cabotage traffic to foreign carriers of any kind. Cabotage traffic is the right of a carrier to transport passengers and goods between two or more points within the Philippines.
“With this we look forward for an increase in traffic coming in to the Philippines that we hope will bring in more tourists, more investments and spur competition in the Philippine aviation industry and to allow it to be competitive internationally,” Secretary Ramon Carandang said in announcing the orders.
He said the President is concerned over the pending issues with the European and the American aviation authorities. The Chief Executive has given the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) a year to resolve these issues.
At this time, Philippine carriers are not allowed to fly to Europe and the Philippines was downgraded by US civil aviation authorities.
“These increased restrictions had dampened the Philippine aviation and the President has given the CAAP a year to resolve these issues. So these are signs that we are very serious and very holistic in our approach in developing tourism and liberalizing the aviation industry,” Carandang said. (PCOO)
Ochoa: EOs seen to boost tourism and investments
President Benigno Aquino III has issued two executive orders reorganizing the Philippine air panels and allowing them to pursue the administration’s international civil aviation liberalization policy, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said on Thursday.
“These executive orders reaffirm the President’s commitment to pursue policies that will promote tourism and spur investment in the country,” Ochoa said.
“Our goal is also to provide a competitive environment for the airline industry by allowing foreign airlines to come in. More airlines mean more choices for flyers, and, consequently, lower fares and better services to entice the flying public,” Ochoa added.
Executive Order No. 28 creates the Philippine Air Negotiating Panel (PANP) and the Philippine Air Consultation Panel (PACP); and Executive Order No. 29 authorizes the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and the two panels to explore discussions with foreign carriers.
He said that granting third, fourth and fifth freedom rights as well as unrestricted capacities and frequencies to foreign air carriers, among others, through the liberalization policy in international aviation, will enhance the competitiveness of Philippine domestic carriers considering that the Philippines is under Category 2 of the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union.
A Category 2 status means that the Philippines is not allowed by the United States and the European Union to increase its flight frequencies to these countries.
EO 29, on the other hand, provides guidelines to the two Philippine air panels in the negotiation of Air Services Agreements (ASAs).
It said the PACP and the PANP, to be collectively known as the Philippine Air Panels, should put forward the following in the negotiations:
• The need to promote domestic tourism by providing travelers more and varied choices of access to the Philippines through improved and increased aviation services;
• The need to promote investment, trade and employment generation in the Philippines through aviation;
• The need to spur competition in the Philippines aviation industry by enticing the entry of more players therein for the greater benefit of travelers; and
• The need to enhance competitiveness of Philippine domestic carriers.
EO 29 allows the PANP to offer and promote third, fourth, and fifth freedom rights to the country’s airports other than the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) without restriction as to frequency, capacity and type of aircraft, and other arrangements that will serve the national interest as may be determined by the CAB.
Under EO 29, the CAB may grant foreign air carriers increases in flight frequencies and/or capacities in the country’s airports other than NAIA, subject to conditions required by existing laws, rules and regulations, and approval of the President, notwithstanding the provisions of the relevant ASAs.
However, EO 29 prohibits CAB from granting any foreign air carriers Cabotage traffic rights of any kind such as the right to transport passengers and goods between two or more points within the Philippines.
“By empowering the CAB to allow foreign airlines to fly directly to airports other than the NAIA, the government hopes to encourage these airlines to fly to other destinations in the country and make it easier for foreign guests to visit the archipelago’s top tourist attractions,” Ochoa said. (PCOO)
Aquino gov’t considers doubling budget allocation for Conditional Cash Transfer
The Aquino government may consider doubling the budget allocation for its Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program, which aims to extend financial assistance to the underprivileged Filipino families nationwide.
In a media interview after keynoting the “Galing Pook” awarding ceremonies on Thursday at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañang Palace, President Benigno S. Aquino III said that the government may consider doubling up its P21 billion budget allocation from the national budget for financial assistance to the poor under the CCT program depending on the condition of the country’s economy.
“We might have a doubling of the budget dependent on the conditions emanating on the economy”.
President Aquino said that there are 4.6 million Filipino families under the poverty line. He said that all efforts are being made to cover all those families belonging to the poorest of the poor.
“We are hoping that we will have the results necessary to call for all 4.6 million families”, the President said.
The Chief Executive said that the government intends to cover all 4.6 million poor families in two years time or if possible, earlier.
“In two years time, hopefully we will finish all of them”, the President said.
“But if the economy really improves to the degree that we are hoping it does, then we will have such to an earlier time…” he added.
In his speech before the “Galing Pook” awardees, the President appealed to the local government officials in attendance to shoulder the fare and transportation expenses of their constituents who are collecting from the CCT program.
He noted that some CCT beneficiaries, who are living in remote areas, have to spend to collect their share from the program.
The government’s CCT program provides assistance for education and health services through the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The CCT program is also known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. (PCOO)
Aquino to LGUs: Help govt. deliver basic services
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Thursday urged Local Government Units (LGUs) to be active partners of the administration in delivering basic services to the poorest of the poor.
In a speech at the 17th Galing Pook Awards and the 2nd awarding of Good Housekeeping Seal and Performance Challenge Fund (PCF) at Malacanang’s Rizal Hall, the President asked the LGUs to take care of transporting or providing the fares of the recipients of the Conditional Cash Transfer program and give them access to health services available under the expanded Philhealth program. “The national government can not reach all of them,” he stressed.
He said the PCF (of P1 million for each awardee) is not intended as a competition among LGUs but to reward them for helping the government attain the Millennium Development Goals of reducing poverty and hunger and improving the opportunities for poor households to rise above their current conditions.
The President cited the big role that LGUs play in reducing poverty, hunger and other social maladies, which is why the administration is bolstering the cooperation and partnership between local and national government agencies. He said the PCF is aimed at ensuring that LGUs will perform their governance mandates with full transparency and without violating any national government auditing regulations, in the process ensuring that all funds go only to where they were intended.
The President said the CCT, which has a budget this year of P21 billion will cover 2.3 million by the end of the year and must be expanded to over 4 million, the actual number of the poorest of the poor households that live in dire poverty and without access to healthcare services.
The government will also pay the premiums for the Philhealth coverage of poor Filipino households so that they, too, can have access to medical care and health services particularly those covered by the national households census. Philhealth itself has volunteered to shoulder half of the premiums needed to cover the poorest households.
The President said he hopes the winners of the 17th Galing Pook Awards and the 1st GP Awards in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will serve as a shining example for other LGUs to follow. He saluted the awardees and thanked them for giving meaning to the government’s goals, visions and aspirations for the people.
The President said more than 200 LGUs have already been given by the annual search for Galing Pook Awards recognition for their significant contribution in good governance, their social service programs, including their efforts towards promoting peace and development in their respective areas.
He urged the LGUs to continue supporting the administration’s goals and visions to liberate the majority of Filipinos from the clutches of poverty and in bringing government closer to them by way of services.
Among the Galing Pook awardees were: Barangay San Antonio in Pasig and Pasig City itself for its environmental projects; Barangay Tangos in Baliwag, Bulacan; Sta. Cruz in Laguna; Bingawan, Iloilo; Cagwait in Surigao del Sur; Dumingag in Zamboanga del Sur and the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Surigao del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte.
Similarly, 7 LGUs representing 8 programs in ARMM were honored in the first Gintong Pook in ARMM. They were: Kapatagan in Lanao del Sur; Sulu Province; Southwestern Ligawasan Alliance of Municipalities; Wao Lanao del Sur; Sultan Mastura in Maguindanao; Bongao, Tawi Tawi and Upi in Maguindanao.
The Seal of Good Housekeeping is given by the Department of Interior and Local Government to LGUs with good governance performance in internal housekeeping particularly in the areas of good planning, sound fiscal management, transparency and accountability and valuing of performance monitoring. The awardees were also given P1 million each under the PCF.
The Good Housekeeping awardees were: Alilem, Ilocos Sur; Quezon in Isabela; Saguday in Quirino province; Mataasnakahoy in Batangas; Camaligan in Camarines Sur; Banaue in Ifugao; Lagawe in Ifugao; Amlan Negros Oriental; Maribojoc in Bohol; Kawayan in Biliran; Calamba in Misamis Occidental; Dujali in Davao del Norte; Cagwait in Surigao del Sur; Carrascal in Surigao del Sur and San Jose in Dinagat Islands. (PCOO)
