Aquino receives new Japanese envoy in Malacanang
President Benigno S. Aquino III received the credentials of His Excellency Toshinao Urabe as the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Philippines in a ceremony at the Music Room of Malacanang Palace on Thursday.
The new Japanese Ambassador and his party were welcomed by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Special and Ocean Concerns Jose Brillantes. He was accompanied by Minister Motohiko Kato, Deputy Chief of Mission; Minister Shinsuke Shimizu, Head of Chancery of the Embassy of Japan; Minister (Political) Hitoshi Ozawa and Mr. Hirotaka Ono, First Secretary.
In presenting his credentials, Ambassador Urabe wished President Aquino well and happiness as he thanked him for welcoming him to the country.
After the ceremony the President ushered Ambassador Urabe to the adjoining Music Conference Room for a closed-door meeting.
Urabe took over the post vacated by former Ambassador Makoto Katsura.
At the age of four, Urabe attended kindergarten at the Jose Abad Santos Memorial School in Manila in 1954. His late father served as Japanese ambassador to Manila in 1969-1974.
The Philippines and Japan are geographically close island countries that share similar values such as democracy and free market principles. (PCOO)
Aquino welcomes BPO, telecom firms to Malacañang
President Benigno S. Aquino III welcomed the officials of a leading business process outsourcing company and a telecommunication firm who called on the Chief Executive in Malacañang.
Marife Zamora, Philippine Country Manager and Asia Pacific Managing Director of the Convergys Group and Jackie O’Leary, Senior Vice President of Everything Everywhere, Ltd, called on the President on Thursday to inform him of their company’s plans for the Philippines.
Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya who, together with Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, joined the President in welcoming the guests said, in an interview that Convergys is planning to expand its business here while Everything Everywhere Ltd wants to train Filipino BPO agents to be conversant in British English to improve their hiring viability.
“Convergys will be opening three more sites (while) Everything Everywhere Ltd is working with Convergys in tapping the Philippine business process outsourcing market,” Maglaya said.
“Everything Everywhere Ltd, together with Convergys, plans to train Filipinos to be fluent in British English,” she added.
Everything Everywhere, Ltd is one of Britain’s largest telecommunications provider with 28-million subscribers.
Maglaya said that the company is interested in employing Filipinos but stressed “they have to be fluent in British English.”
“So, they (Everything Everywhere Ltd) will be exploring with Convergys and with schools on how to do the training,” Maglaya said.
In reply, Maglaya said the President would support the group’s move.
“He (President) will give government support to increase and strengthen the industry because the employment opportunities generated will be big,” Maglaya said. (PCOO)
Aquino meets with United Arab Emirates national airline officials
Key officials of United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) national airline paid a courtesy call to President Benigno S. Aquino III on Thursday at the Yellow Room of Malacañang Palace where they discussed issues concerning the improvement of the economy, tourism and infrastructure, among others.
During the call, the President together with other government officials welcomed Mr. James Hogan, chief executive officer of Etihad Airways and his party. They talked about the group’s proposal to increase the number of their flights that will eventually boost the government’s tourist generation efforts.
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado, who was also present during the event, said that Etihad’s flight expansion would also increase the number of passengers they would bring into the country every year. He added that the Chief Executive expressed gratitude for the said development.
Hogan, for his part, said that among the topics tackled during the meeting with the President include the possible developments in the country in terms of the economy, inbound tourism and the role that they play while operating in and out of the Philippines.
“We discussed with the President the development in the Philippines with regards to the improvement of the economy, we talked about tourism, inbound tourism… infrastructure, the overseas airline and the role that we play in operating into and out of the Philippines. We employ 1,000 Filipinos in our company in Abu Dhabi and we talked about how to extend our relationship”, Hogan said
During the visit, the Hogan was accompanied by fellow Etihad officials that include Mr. Robert Hukom, country manager; Mr. Khaled Al Mehairbi, SVP for Government and Aeropolitical Affairs and Mr. Hassan Al Hammadi, SVP for Executive Affairs and Corporate Security.
For the Philippine government, also in attendance were Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose De Jesus, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda and Trade and Industry Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya.
Etihad Airways was set up by a Royal Decree in July 2003, with Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, as its hub. Etihad started commercial operations in November 2003.
Over the past four years, the airline added 33 new destinations and 35 new aircrafts increasing the number of passengers it carried annually from 2.7 million to 7.2 million worldwide. (PCOO)
Palace welcomes CBCP clarification that threat of ‘civil disobedience’ is not official
Malacanang welcomed the statement of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) that the calls by some prelates for civil disobedience are not the collective position of the bishops’ collegial body.
We welcome that statement from the CBCP,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters during the regular news briefing on Thursday in Malacanang.
“The CBCP does not have any official stand regarding civil disobedience. We did not discuss what action to take on civil disobedience,” CBCP president and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar said.
Odchimar made the clarification following reports that some bishops and anti-RH advocates earlier said they will campaign for civil disobedience and threatened not to pay taxes in case the RH bill is passed.
Lacierda also said the Palace opted to keep mum regarding the on-going debate between the pro and anti- reproductive health (RH) lawmakers in the Congress adding that it is good that there will be no debate between the government and the Catholic Church following the latest statement of the CBCP.
“Let us leave the debate on this issue to Congress,” he said. (PCOO)
President Benigno S. Aquino III received the credentials of His Excellency Toshinao Urabe as the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Philippines in a ceremony at the Music Room of Malacanang Palace on Thursday.
The new Japanese Ambassador and his party were welcomed by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Special and Ocean Concerns Jose Brillantes. He was accompanied by Minister Motohiko Kato, Deputy Chief of Mission; Minister Shinsuke Shimizu, Head of Chancery of the Embassy of Japan; Minister (Political) Hitoshi Ozawa and Mr. Hirotaka Ono, First Secretary.
In presenting his credentials, Ambassador Urabe wished President Aquino well and happiness as he thanked him for welcoming him to the country.
After the ceremony the President ushered Ambassador Urabe to the adjoining Music Conference Room for a closed-door meeting.
Urabe took over the post vacated by former Ambassador Makoto Katsura.
At the age of four, Urabe attended kindergarten at the Jose Abad Santos Memorial School in Manila in 1954. His late father served as Japanese ambassador to Manila in 1969-1974.
The Philippines and Japan are geographically close island countries that share similar values such as democracy and free market principles. (PCOO)
Aquino welcomes BPO, telecom firms to Malacañang
President Benigno S. Aquino III welcomed the officials of a leading business process outsourcing company and a telecommunication firm who called on the Chief Executive in Malacañang.
Marife Zamora, Philippine Country Manager and Asia Pacific Managing Director of the Convergys Group and Jackie O’Leary, Senior Vice President of Everything Everywhere, Ltd, called on the President on Thursday to inform him of their company’s plans for the Philippines.
Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya who, together with Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, joined the President in welcoming the guests said, in an interview that Convergys is planning to expand its business here while Everything Everywhere Ltd wants to train Filipino BPO agents to be conversant in British English to improve their hiring viability.
“Convergys will be opening three more sites (while) Everything Everywhere Ltd is working with Convergys in tapping the Philippine business process outsourcing market,” Maglaya said.
“Everything Everywhere Ltd, together with Convergys, plans to train Filipinos to be fluent in British English,” she added.
Everything Everywhere, Ltd is one of Britain’s largest telecommunications provider with 28-million subscribers.
Maglaya said that the company is interested in employing Filipinos but stressed “they have to be fluent in British English.”
“So, they (Everything Everywhere Ltd) will be exploring with Convergys and with schools on how to do the training,” Maglaya said.
In reply, Maglaya said the President would support the group’s move.
“He (President) will give government support to increase and strengthen the industry because the employment opportunities generated will be big,” Maglaya said. (PCOO)
Aquino meets with United Arab Emirates national airline officials
Key officials of United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) national airline paid a courtesy call to President Benigno S. Aquino III on Thursday at the Yellow Room of Malacañang Palace where they discussed issues concerning the improvement of the economy, tourism and infrastructure, among others.
During the call, the President together with other government officials welcomed Mr. James Hogan, chief executive officer of Etihad Airways and his party. They talked about the group’s proposal to increase the number of their flights that will eventually boost the government’s tourist generation efforts.
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado, who was also present during the event, said that Etihad’s flight expansion would also increase the number of passengers they would bring into the country every year. He added that the Chief Executive expressed gratitude for the said development.
Hogan, for his part, said that among the topics tackled during the meeting with the President include the possible developments in the country in terms of the economy, inbound tourism and the role that they play while operating in and out of the Philippines.
“We discussed with the President the development in the Philippines with regards to the improvement of the economy, we talked about tourism, inbound tourism… infrastructure, the overseas airline and the role that we play in operating into and out of the Philippines. We employ 1,000 Filipinos in our company in Abu Dhabi and we talked about how to extend our relationship”, Hogan said
During the visit, the Hogan was accompanied by fellow Etihad officials that include Mr. Robert Hukom, country manager; Mr. Khaled Al Mehairbi, SVP for Government and Aeropolitical Affairs and Mr. Hassan Al Hammadi, SVP for Executive Affairs and Corporate Security.
For the Philippine government, also in attendance were Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose De Jesus, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda and Trade and Industry Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya.
Etihad Airways was set up by a Royal Decree in July 2003, with Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, as its hub. Etihad started commercial operations in November 2003.
Over the past four years, the airline added 33 new destinations and 35 new aircrafts increasing the number of passengers it carried annually from 2.7 million to 7.2 million worldwide. (PCOO)
Palace welcomes CBCP clarification that threat of ‘civil disobedience’ is not official
Malacanang welcomed the statement of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) that the calls by some prelates for civil disobedience are not the collective position of the bishops’ collegial body.
We welcome that statement from the CBCP,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters during the regular news briefing on Thursday in Malacanang.
“The CBCP does not have any official stand regarding civil disobedience. We did not discuss what action to take on civil disobedience,” CBCP president and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar said.
Odchimar made the clarification following reports that some bishops and anti-RH advocates earlier said they will campaign for civil disobedience and threatened not to pay taxes in case the RH bill is passed.
Lacierda also said the Palace opted to keep mum regarding the on-going debate between the pro and anti- reproductive health (RH) lawmakers in the Congress adding that it is good that there will be no debate between the government and the Catholic Church following the latest statement of the CBCP.
“Let us leave the debate on this issue to Congress,” he said. (PCOO)
