Malacanang declares June 6, 2011 as a special non-working day in the province of Zamboanga del Norte
Malacanang has declared June 6, 2011 as a special non-working day in the province of Zamboanga del Norte in celebration of the 59th Foundation Day of the province.
By virtue of Proclamation No. 160 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on May 4, 2011, declares June 6, 2011 which falls on Monday as a special non-working day gives the people of the province of Zamboanga del Norte a full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion.
June 6, 2011 also marks the 59th Foundation Day anniversary of the Province of Zamboanga del Norte.
"It is but fitting and proper that the people of the Province of Zamboanga del Norte be given full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies," the proclamation said.
Zamboanga del Norte is located at the northern edge of Mindanao and its capital is Dipolog city. (PCOO)
Malacañang ready to welcome Pacquiao
President Benigno S. Aquino III sees no reason not to accord champion boxer and Saranggani Rep. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao a heroes’ welcome in Malacañang despite his anti-stance in the Reproductive Health bill, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.
Lacierda, in a press conference on Wednesday in Malacañang, said the President respects the stand of Pacquiao on the matter.
“There is no reason why he (President Aquino) should not welcome Manny Pacquiao if he wants to pay a courtesy call. In fact, may schedule na nga ang kanyang courtesy call this week,” Lacierda said.
He pointed out that as a democratic country, it is everyone’s right to choose a position on any matter he or she believed in.
“This shows democratic state. This shows the President respects the decision or choice of each individual. Wala o hindi ho tayo dapat mabahala kung si Congressman Pacquiao ay anti-RH Bill. This is just the existence of a democratic state. We want to emphasize that everybody has their own opinion and can make a decision on this matter,” Lacierda said.
“That is what we are after: that the individual must make a decision based on information that is given,” he added. (PCOO)
Malacanang welcomes statement of JPE on postponement of ARMM elections
Malacanang expressed elation over the statement by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile who said the bill seeking the postponement of the election in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has started to gain support among senators.
“We thank the Senate president for issuing that statement certainly because we are for the postponement of the ARMM election.
Because we believe this is a reform measure, not only a reform measure but also to save cost for the government when it comes to having a synchronized election,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing on Wednesday in Malacanang.
President Benigno Aquino III wants the ARMM elections synchronized with the May 13, 2013 national and local elections "in order to level the playing field."
The Palace is confident that with the Senate support, it would be able to pass the bill to postpone the ARMM elections even in a very limited period of time.
Enrile said that “there are numbers” in the Senate who support the postponement of the ARMM elections and its synchronization in the mid-term 2013 elections.
Enrile, who openly supports the bill, however, said he has still to wait for the committee report of Senate committee on local government chairman Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who is gauging the pulse of the people in ARMM.
The lower house has passed House Bill 4146 resetting the ARMM polls from August 8 this year to May 13, 2013.
Last week, the President met with six senators to drum up support for HB 4146 that seeks to postpone the ARMM elections. (PCOO)
Aquino lauds PMA for supporting government’s effort to provide health care for poor Filipinos and promote responsible parenthood
DAVAO CITY: President Benigno S. Aquino III expressed elation today that the 68,000 strong members and officers of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) is supporting his administration’s initiative to provide wider access to basic health care, and to promote responsible parenthood that would educate the couples of their responsibilities to their children.
Speaking at the opening rites of the five-day 104th annual convention of the national organization of Filipino physicians at the Grand Regal Hotel here, the President told them that since he assumed the presidency in 2010, his mission is to significantly reduce poverty before the end of his term and to provide wider access to basic health care for the marginalized Filipinos.
In a speech, the President also lauded the Filipino physicians for supporting his responsible parenthood stand which is consistent with his 5-point position.
“Let me reiterate my position for the nth time, reproductive health must be against abortion. It must educate couples as for their responsibilities to their children and give them the full menu of options on family planning as they are in the best position to decide on matters affecting their families,” he said.
“I have pledged to significantly reduce poverty before the end of my term and an essential component to that is to provide wider access to basic health care. I believe it is part of our civic duties to muster every resource as we can to explore every idea and to exert every effort to eliminate this problem,” he said.
According to the President, it is important for every Filipino to talk about responsible parenthood, adding that “we need legislation that would prevent this tragedy from happening.”
He further explained that as an elected leader of the country, he did not want and will not force anyone to go against their individual consciences.
“All we want is to give people a chance to make their own intelligence and well informed decisions. I hope that when Congress does send me the bill, it is consistent with my own five point positions, he said.
“I know some sectors are against this bill but it is the right thing to do. It is the right to educate our people instead of holding them hostage to the scant resources available to them, and it is right to grant them free will which is their inherent right – the concept upon which this democracy and, not to mention, the Catholic Church, where built,” the President explained.
In addition, the President urged the Catholic Church to “work with us on the many areas where we do agree – poverty alleviation, peace and order, and perhaps even responsible mining.”
“Let us work together. This single issue does not have to be as divisive as it has become.” The President stressed.
The President assured the physicians present that his government will continue to help Filipinos to survive from poverty and provide them access to medical care by supporting a legislation that will take us up closer towards social justice. (PCOO)
Malacanang says Aquino gov’t successfully meeting goals on education/health services of Conditional Cash Transfer
The Aquino government has been successfully meeting its goals of providing assistance to education and health services under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program to underprivileged Filipinos after benefitting more than half of its target for this year.
In an informal interview with the members of the Malacanang Press Corps in Malacanang on Wednesday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the government has been treading on the right track with regards to the CCT program, also known as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), adding that as of May of this year, at least 1.4 million people has already benefitted on the 4Ps project.
“Tungkol po sa CCT program… nais ko ibahagi sa publiko na as of May, ang total registered beneficiaries are 1.9 million na, as of May also ang actual na nakatanggap na sa CCT ay 1.4 to 1.5 (million). Ang target po natin for this year is 2.3 million so we are more than half na po dito sa CCT program or Pantawid Pamilya…”, Lacierda said.
Lacierda noted the increase of numbers in the targeted beneficiaries of the project next year. He also said that the government is eyeing to fulfill the whole coverage of the registered beneficiaries by December.
“Ang target po natin next year ay 3 million, so we are on schedule, in fact more than half already by May so we hope to be able to address all the beneficiaries by end of December”, Lacierda said.
He also said that the budget allotted for the 4Ps program of P21 billion included in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) will have to also increase to cater additional recipients of the assistance from the government.
“Yung budget po ng CCT ay P21 billion sa GAA, pero nag-usap na po si Secretary Dinky Soliman at si (Department of Budget and Management) Secretary (Florencio) Butch Abad kasi ang kailangan nilang pondo ay 23 billion so nagdagdag. The total registered beneficiaries ay mga 1.9 (million) so ang actual ay 1.4 to 1.5 na nakatanggap for next year magdadagdag pa uli ng beneficiaries magiging three million ang ire-register na beneficiaries next year”, Lacierda noted.
When asked on where the government will be sourcing out the additional two billion pesos budget for the CCT program, Lacierda said that Secretary Abad will have to find ways to provide for the deficit.
“So Secretary Butch Abad will find a way to plug that P2 billion”, Lacierda said.
The CCT or the 4Ps is a poverty reduction and social development program of the government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education, particularly of children aged 0-14. (PCOO)
Cabinet Secretaries agree to communicate/convey good news to people
President Benigno Aquino III’s official Cabinet Secretaries have agreed to communicate more with each other and release regular reports so that the programs of the administration are relayed to the people.
“During NEDA cabinet meeting yesterday, the need for Cabinet secretaries to talk to each other was discussed. Secondly, the need for cabinet departments to convey the good news to the PMS [Presidential Management Staff] and to the communications group,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters during the regular press briefing on Wednesday in Malacanang.
Lacierda was responding to a question regarding the necessary adjustment that the communications group has to make to inform the public about the administration’s stands and policies.
“So it emphasizes not only once but twice, for the need to bring out the good news to the public. They told the cabinet secretaries to coordinate closely with the communications group,” he said.
On the part of the Palace communications group, Lacierda said they will push for the release of more good news to the people on a regular basis. However, Lacierda said this move is dependent on the output of the respective cabinet departments.
“So once we get the news on a regular basis from the several cabinet departments we will release them more regularly,” he added.
The Palace sees no problem with the members of the Palace press, Lacierda said adding that maybe there’s a need to engage the columnists and explain to them the Palace’s position as well as the programs of the president. (PCOO)
Malacanang supports TUCP stand to strengthen employees' entrepreneurial capabilities
The Aquino government is willing to support the initiatives being pursued by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines to strengthen the entrepreneurial capabilities of the employees to improve their income.
Presidential Spokeman Edwin Lacierda made this statement during the regular press briefing on Wednesday in Malacanang.
Lacierda said the government’s support to the TUCP’s initiatives was expressed during a meeting with them in Malacanang.
“Open naman po ang gobyerno dun. In fact we can help them along, si Sec. Linda Baldoz (Labor Secretary) ay nagsabi na tungkol sa entrepreneurial ability at handa tumulong ang gobyerno diyan,” he said.
He said the TUCP also cited the good feedback of the workers’ enterprise in Cebu which is giving workers additional income.
“The TUCP said that they have this workers’ enterprise-business sa Cebu run by laborers themselves,” Lacierda said adding that the laborers earn additional earnings from such entrepreneur.
Lacierda also stressed that the government attained its goal to create more jobs in addition to the two million jobs created in 2010.
Aside from creating jobs, the government is also focus on ensuring that the jobs are being maintained.
“Napag-usapan dun po job generations - the need for job generation and also the need to make sure that those jobs are maintained,” said Lacierda.
“Supposedly iyong two million 2010 jobs are temporary because of the election pero hindi po sila nabawasan nitong 2011 bagkus may nagdadagan pa,” he added.
Lacierda also said the government agreed with the TUCP leaders to adhere to the policy of the Labor Code for tripartism in dealing labor issues.
“They (TUCP) also like to emphasize the need for tripartism – government, labor and the management po, and the President was also in full agreement with the need for tripartism po,” he said.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), with 1.2 million members, is the biggest confederation of labor federations in the Philippines. (PCOO)
Malacanang has declared June 6, 2011 as a special non-working day in the province of Zamboanga del Norte in celebration of the 59th Foundation Day of the province.
By virtue of Proclamation No. 160 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on May 4, 2011, declares June 6, 2011 which falls on Monday as a special non-working day gives the people of the province of Zamboanga del Norte a full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion.
June 6, 2011 also marks the 59th Foundation Day anniversary of the Province of Zamboanga del Norte.
"It is but fitting and proper that the people of the Province of Zamboanga del Norte be given full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies," the proclamation said.
Zamboanga del Norte is located at the northern edge of Mindanao and its capital is Dipolog city. (PCOO)
Malacañang ready to welcome Pacquiao
President Benigno S. Aquino III sees no reason not to accord champion boxer and Saranggani Rep. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao a heroes’ welcome in Malacañang despite his anti-stance in the Reproductive Health bill, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.
Lacierda, in a press conference on Wednesday in Malacañang, said the President respects the stand of Pacquiao on the matter.
“There is no reason why he (President Aquino) should not welcome Manny Pacquiao if he wants to pay a courtesy call. In fact, may schedule na nga ang kanyang courtesy call this week,” Lacierda said.
He pointed out that as a democratic country, it is everyone’s right to choose a position on any matter he or she believed in.
“This shows democratic state. This shows the President respects the decision or choice of each individual. Wala o hindi ho tayo dapat mabahala kung si Congressman Pacquiao ay anti-RH Bill. This is just the existence of a democratic state. We want to emphasize that everybody has their own opinion and can make a decision on this matter,” Lacierda said.
“That is what we are after: that the individual must make a decision based on information that is given,” he added. (PCOO)
Malacanang welcomes statement of JPE on postponement of ARMM elections
Malacanang expressed elation over the statement by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile who said the bill seeking the postponement of the election in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has started to gain support among senators.
“We thank the Senate president for issuing that statement certainly because we are for the postponement of the ARMM election.
Because we believe this is a reform measure, not only a reform measure but also to save cost for the government when it comes to having a synchronized election,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing on Wednesday in Malacanang.
President Benigno Aquino III wants the ARMM elections synchronized with the May 13, 2013 national and local elections "in order to level the playing field."
The Palace is confident that with the Senate support, it would be able to pass the bill to postpone the ARMM elections even in a very limited period of time.
Enrile said that “there are numbers” in the Senate who support the postponement of the ARMM elections and its synchronization in the mid-term 2013 elections.
Enrile, who openly supports the bill, however, said he has still to wait for the committee report of Senate committee on local government chairman Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who is gauging the pulse of the people in ARMM.
The lower house has passed House Bill 4146 resetting the ARMM polls from August 8 this year to May 13, 2013.
Last week, the President met with six senators to drum up support for HB 4146 that seeks to postpone the ARMM elections. (PCOO)
Aquino lauds PMA for supporting government’s effort to provide health care for poor Filipinos and promote responsible parenthood
DAVAO CITY: President Benigno S. Aquino III expressed elation today that the 68,000 strong members and officers of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) is supporting his administration’s initiative to provide wider access to basic health care, and to promote responsible parenthood that would educate the couples of their responsibilities to their children.
Speaking at the opening rites of the five-day 104th annual convention of the national organization of Filipino physicians at the Grand Regal Hotel here, the President told them that since he assumed the presidency in 2010, his mission is to significantly reduce poverty before the end of his term and to provide wider access to basic health care for the marginalized Filipinos.
In a speech, the President also lauded the Filipino physicians for supporting his responsible parenthood stand which is consistent with his 5-point position.
“Let me reiterate my position for the nth time, reproductive health must be against abortion. It must educate couples as for their responsibilities to their children and give them the full menu of options on family planning as they are in the best position to decide on matters affecting their families,” he said.
“I have pledged to significantly reduce poverty before the end of my term and an essential component to that is to provide wider access to basic health care. I believe it is part of our civic duties to muster every resource as we can to explore every idea and to exert every effort to eliminate this problem,” he said.
According to the President, it is important for every Filipino to talk about responsible parenthood, adding that “we need legislation that would prevent this tragedy from happening.”
He further explained that as an elected leader of the country, he did not want and will not force anyone to go against their individual consciences.
“All we want is to give people a chance to make their own intelligence and well informed decisions. I hope that when Congress does send me the bill, it is consistent with my own five point positions, he said.
“I know some sectors are against this bill but it is the right thing to do. It is the right to educate our people instead of holding them hostage to the scant resources available to them, and it is right to grant them free will which is their inherent right – the concept upon which this democracy and, not to mention, the Catholic Church, where built,” the President explained.
In addition, the President urged the Catholic Church to “work with us on the many areas where we do agree – poverty alleviation, peace and order, and perhaps even responsible mining.”
“Let us work together. This single issue does not have to be as divisive as it has become.” The President stressed.
The President assured the physicians present that his government will continue to help Filipinos to survive from poverty and provide them access to medical care by supporting a legislation that will take us up closer towards social justice. (PCOO)
Malacanang says Aquino gov’t successfully meeting goals on education/health services of Conditional Cash Transfer
The Aquino government has been successfully meeting its goals of providing assistance to education and health services under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program to underprivileged Filipinos after benefitting more than half of its target for this year.
In an informal interview with the members of the Malacanang Press Corps in Malacanang on Wednesday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the government has been treading on the right track with regards to the CCT program, also known as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), adding that as of May of this year, at least 1.4 million people has already benefitted on the 4Ps project.
“Tungkol po sa CCT program… nais ko ibahagi sa publiko na as of May, ang total registered beneficiaries are 1.9 million na, as of May also ang actual na nakatanggap na sa CCT ay 1.4 to 1.5 (million). Ang target po natin for this year is 2.3 million so we are more than half na po dito sa CCT program or Pantawid Pamilya…”, Lacierda said.
Lacierda noted the increase of numbers in the targeted beneficiaries of the project next year. He also said that the government is eyeing to fulfill the whole coverage of the registered beneficiaries by December.
“Ang target po natin next year ay 3 million, so we are on schedule, in fact more than half already by May so we hope to be able to address all the beneficiaries by end of December”, Lacierda said.
He also said that the budget allotted for the 4Ps program of P21 billion included in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) will have to also increase to cater additional recipients of the assistance from the government.
“Yung budget po ng CCT ay P21 billion sa GAA, pero nag-usap na po si Secretary Dinky Soliman at si (Department of Budget and Management) Secretary (Florencio) Butch Abad kasi ang kailangan nilang pondo ay 23 billion so nagdagdag. The total registered beneficiaries ay mga 1.9 (million) so ang actual ay 1.4 to 1.5 na nakatanggap for next year magdadagdag pa uli ng beneficiaries magiging three million ang ire-register na beneficiaries next year”, Lacierda noted.
When asked on where the government will be sourcing out the additional two billion pesos budget for the CCT program, Lacierda said that Secretary Abad will have to find ways to provide for the deficit.
“So Secretary Butch Abad will find a way to plug that P2 billion”, Lacierda said.
The CCT or the 4Ps is a poverty reduction and social development program of the government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education, particularly of children aged 0-14. (PCOO)
Cabinet Secretaries agree to communicate/convey good news to people
President Benigno Aquino III’s official Cabinet Secretaries have agreed to communicate more with each other and release regular reports so that the programs of the administration are relayed to the people.
“During NEDA cabinet meeting yesterday, the need for Cabinet secretaries to talk to each other was discussed. Secondly, the need for cabinet departments to convey the good news to the PMS [Presidential Management Staff] and to the communications group,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters during the regular press briefing on Wednesday in Malacanang.
Lacierda was responding to a question regarding the necessary adjustment that the communications group has to make to inform the public about the administration’s stands and policies.
“So it emphasizes not only once but twice, for the need to bring out the good news to the public. They told the cabinet secretaries to coordinate closely with the communications group,” he said.
On the part of the Palace communications group, Lacierda said they will push for the release of more good news to the people on a regular basis. However, Lacierda said this move is dependent on the output of the respective cabinet departments.
“So once we get the news on a regular basis from the several cabinet departments we will release them more regularly,” he added.
The Palace sees no problem with the members of the Palace press, Lacierda said adding that maybe there’s a need to engage the columnists and explain to them the Palace’s position as well as the programs of the president. (PCOO)
Malacanang supports TUCP stand to strengthen employees' entrepreneurial capabilities
The Aquino government is willing to support the initiatives being pursued by the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines to strengthen the entrepreneurial capabilities of the employees to improve their income.
Presidential Spokeman Edwin Lacierda made this statement during the regular press briefing on Wednesday in Malacanang.
Lacierda said the government’s support to the TUCP’s initiatives was expressed during a meeting with them in Malacanang.
“Open naman po ang gobyerno dun. In fact we can help them along, si Sec. Linda Baldoz (Labor Secretary) ay nagsabi na tungkol sa entrepreneurial ability at handa tumulong ang gobyerno diyan,” he said.
He said the TUCP also cited the good feedback of the workers’ enterprise in Cebu which is giving workers additional income.
“The TUCP said that they have this workers’ enterprise-business sa Cebu run by laborers themselves,” Lacierda said adding that the laborers earn additional earnings from such entrepreneur.
Lacierda also stressed that the government attained its goal to create more jobs in addition to the two million jobs created in 2010.
Aside from creating jobs, the government is also focus on ensuring that the jobs are being maintained.
“Napag-usapan dun po job generations - the need for job generation and also the need to make sure that those jobs are maintained,” said Lacierda.
“Supposedly iyong two million 2010 jobs are temporary because of the election pero hindi po sila nabawasan nitong 2011 bagkus may nagdadagan pa,” he added.
Lacierda also said the government agreed with the TUCP leaders to adhere to the policy of the Labor Code for tripartism in dealing labor issues.
“They (TUCP) also like to emphasize the need for tripartism – government, labor and the management po, and the President was also in full agreement with the need for tripartism po,” he said.
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), with 1.2 million members, is the biggest confederation of labor federations in the Philippines. (PCOO)
