Malacañang released a book containing President Benigno S. Aquino III’s top legislative measures that will serve as a template of his administration for the country’s march towards progress and development.The publication entitled “Priority Legislative Measures of the President” volume 1 (July 2010 to June 2011), was adopted by the House of Representatives and the Senate as their common legislative agenda for the Fifteenth Congress during the 111th Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting.
The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) and the Bureau of Communications Services (BCS) collaborated with Congress and the different agencies to come up with the publication.
The book aimed at informing the private sector, academe, local government units and various stakeholders about what the administration has been doing with regards to policy measures as well as its vision in the next five years in office.
“The goal is to inform, empower and involve the people in crafting landmark legislative measures that will be vital to support the country’s development and progress,” PCOO Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma said.
It provides a short analysis of how the bills are related to the 16-point agenda in the social contract and the Philippine Development Plan of 2011 to 2016, he added.
A year after President Aquino assumed office, he has not forgotten his promises to the people—that he will institute a feedback mechanism that will allow Filipinos from the grassroots level to raise their concerns about the government.
After the President’s state-of-the-nation address (SONA) next week, PCOO will visit different provinces to do consultations with the local government units (LGUs), private sector, non-government organizations (NGOs), academe and other stakeholders to get their feedback and support for pushing these priority measures.
The publication is a compilation of the priority legislative measures highlighted by the President as landmark legislation that are vital to support the country’s development and progress.
These measures are part of the President’s social contract with the people which he made when he run for the presidency last year.
Key areas in the social contract includes good governance, support for the poor, economic expansion and job generation, peace and stability, and promotion of sustainable utilization of natural resources with the help of several stakeholders.
At the same time, these priority legislative measures are anchored on the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2011-2016, the government’s blueprint that translates President Aquino’s social contract into actions that benefit the people.
No SONA speech leakage Malacañang assures
To prevent a repeat of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s State Of Nation Address (SONA) speech being leaked to media ahead of schedule as what happened last year, Malacañang on Thursday said that it was
The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) and the Bureau of Communications Services (BCS) collaborated with Congress and the different agencies to come up with the publication.
The book aimed at informing the private sector, academe, local government units and various stakeholders about what the administration has been doing with regards to policy measures as well as its vision in the next five years in office.
“The goal is to inform, empower and involve the people in crafting landmark legislative measures that will be vital to support the country’s development and progress,” PCOO Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma said.
It provides a short analysis of how the bills are related to the 16-point agenda in the social contract and the Philippine Development Plan of 2011 to 2016, he added.
A year after President Aquino assumed office, he has not forgotten his promises to the people—that he will institute a feedback mechanism that will allow Filipinos from the grassroots level to raise their concerns about the government.
After the President’s state-of-the-nation address (SONA) next week, PCOO will visit different provinces to do consultations with the local government units (LGUs), private sector, non-government organizations (NGOs), academe and other stakeholders to get their feedback and support for pushing these priority measures.
The publication is a compilation of the priority legislative measures highlighted by the President as landmark legislation that are vital to support the country’s development and progress.
These measures are part of the President’s social contract with the people which he made when he run for the presidency last year.
Key areas in the social contract includes good governance, support for the poor, economic expansion and job generation, peace and stability, and promotion of sustainable utilization of natural resources with the help of several stakeholders.
At the same time, these priority legislative measures are anchored on the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2011-2016, the government’s blueprint that translates President Aquino’s social contract into actions that benefit the people.
No SONA speech leakage Malacañang assures
To prevent a repeat of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s State Of Nation Address (SONA) speech being leaked to media ahead of schedule as what happened last year, Malacañang on Thursday said that it was
undertaking several measures to keep this year’s SONA speech under wraps until Monday, July 25.Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda assured the public that the government was doing everything to prevent the president’s SONA speech from being prematurely leaked to anyone.
“We’ve discussed several measures on how to avoid a leakage. Its now being finalized to make sure that what we’ll be doing will not be prematurely leaked to anyone,” Lacierda said.
“So I can assure you that this time around, there will be no premature leaks of the SONA speech,” he added.
It may be recalled that President Aquino had ordered an investigation as to how his 2010 SONA speech was allegedly leaked to a television network who posted a copy in its Facebook account shortly after he delivered it in the House of Representatives in July 2010.
Palace welcomes China’s support for legally binding guideline in Spratlys
Malacanang welcomed China’s recent position supporting the creation of a legally binding guideline that sets the conduct of all the claimant countries in the disputed West Philippine Sea.
“We welcome the development. That’s a step forward. As we always say, we need a rules-based regime in governing our relations there in those disputed areas. So certainly it’s a welcome development for us,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday.
It was reported that a senior Chinese diplomat said his country had agreed to draft guidelines for behavior in the disputed region with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) after a meeting of the Asian security officials in Bali, Indonesia.
China has long resisted previous calls for a legally binding code of conduct that would settle disputes in the West Philippine Sea and solving the problems through peaceful means.
What is currently in place is the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea but the declaration is not a legally binding one. It was signed on November 4, 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia by the member states of Asean and China and was aimed at promoting peaceful, friendly and harmonious environment in the West Philippine Sea.
It also aims to ensure peace, stability, economic growth and prosperity in the region.
Lacierda also defended the visit of the Filipino lawmakers in the Kalayaan Islands saying the legislators haven’t violated anything because the territory belongs to the Philippines.
The lawmakers flew Wednesday to the disputed West Philippine Sea to assert the Philippines claim to the potentially oil-rich region defying China's protest over the trip. Chinese officials said the visit threatens regional stability.
“There was a municipality there the Municipality of Kalayaan and obviously that is part of the Philippine jurisdiction that is part of Philippine sovereignty. We have a local government in place there, we have a military detachment there so I don’t see they have infringed on China when it’s part of our territory. The place that they’ve visited, that’s clearly ours and they [China] have no presence there,” Lacierda said.
“We’ve discussed several measures on how to avoid a leakage. Its now being finalized to make sure that what we’ll be doing will not be prematurely leaked to anyone,” Lacierda said.
“So I can assure you that this time around, there will be no premature leaks of the SONA speech,” he added.
It may be recalled that President Aquino had ordered an investigation as to how his 2010 SONA speech was allegedly leaked to a television network who posted a copy in its Facebook account shortly after he delivered it in the House of Representatives in July 2010.
Palace welcomes China’s support for legally binding guideline in Spratlys
Malacanang welcomed China’s recent position supporting the creation of a legally binding guideline that sets the conduct of all the claimant countries in the disputed West Philippine Sea.
“We welcome the development. That’s a step forward. As we always say, we need a rules-based regime in governing our relations there in those disputed areas. So certainly it’s a welcome development for us,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday.
It was reported that a senior Chinese diplomat said his country had agreed to draft guidelines for behavior in the disputed region with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) after a meeting of the Asian security officials in Bali, Indonesia.
China has long resisted previous calls for a legally binding code of conduct that would settle disputes in the West Philippine Sea and solving the problems through peaceful means.
What is currently in place is the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea but the declaration is not a legally binding one. It was signed on November 4, 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia by the member states of Asean and China and was aimed at promoting peaceful, friendly and harmonious environment in the West Philippine Sea.
It also aims to ensure peace, stability, economic growth and prosperity in the region.
Lacierda also defended the visit of the Filipino lawmakers in the Kalayaan Islands saying the legislators haven’t violated anything because the territory belongs to the Philippines.
The lawmakers flew Wednesday to the disputed West Philippine Sea to assert the Philippines claim to the potentially oil-rich region defying China's protest over the trip. Chinese officials said the visit threatens regional stability.
“There was a municipality there the Municipality of Kalayaan and obviously that is part of the Philippine jurisdiction that is part of Philippine sovereignty. We have a local government in place there, we have a military detachment there so I don’t see they have infringed on China when it’s part of our territory. The place that they’ve visited, that’s clearly ours and they [China] have no presence there,” Lacierda said.
Besides China, Philippines and Vietnam, other Asean countries such as Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan also have conflicting territorial claims in the Spratly Islands, which are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas. It also has busy sea lanes for global trade and commerce.
Malacañang addresses issue of 'blood money' for convicted Filipino workers overseas
Due to appeals for assistance for "blood money" to facilitate the release of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who is now on death row in Saudi Arabia, Malacanang announced the creation of a technical working group to find ways to help address his plight as well as other Filipinos on death row abroad.Migrante Middle East said death row convict Rodelio “Don-Don” Lanuza appealed for help to the Aquino administration through the Department of Foreign of Affairs (DFA).
As a result of this, President Aquino convened recently representatives from concerned agencies to address the plight not only of Lanuza but also other convicted Filipinos in foreign countries.
During the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda announced the creation of a technical working group to come up with a concrete policy regarding blood money for Filipinos including Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), on death row.
He underscored the importance of the technical working group due to the increasing amount of blood money being demanded in exchange for the lives of the convicted Filipinos.
He added that there are several proposals raised during the meeting on how to put up a fund for the blood money and other means to help the convicted Filipinos. “There are proposals and the technical working group will thoroughly study that,” he said.
Aquino recently presided over a meeting with representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Justice (DOJ) and Office of the Political Affairs to tackle these concerns.
“Nagkaroon po ng decision na magtayo ng technical working group at pag-aralan kung ano ba talaga ang magiging polisiya sa pagdating sa blood money. Kasi pataas na po ng pataas ang hinihinging blood money, " Lacierda told reporters.
“Ang assessment po ng DFA is that it is not going to be sustainable in the long- term, so that's why they formed a technical working group to come up with a viable way of addressing the issue of blood money," he added
In 2000, Lanuza was convicted for killing a Saudi national. Lanuza, who claimed self-defense, has been detained in Dammam Central jail, eastern Saudi Arabia. However, in 2003, the victim's family issued an ‘affidavit of desistance’ to Lanuza in exchange for an undisclosed amount of diyya or ‘blood money.’Meanwhile, another convicted OFW Jose Zapanta, 32, a native of Mexico, Pampanga has been detained at the Malaz Central Jail since June, 2009 for killing his Sudanese landlord in what he also claimed to be a case of self-defense.
Aquino declares special non-working days for Candelaria in Quezon and Kabankalan in Negros Occidental
Malacanang declared August 2 and 5 as special non-working days in the City of Kabankalan, Negros Occidental and Candelaria, Quezon to mark the celebration of their respective anniversaries.
President Benigno Aquino III, through Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. , issued Proclamation 205 declaring August 2, 2011 a special non-working day in the City of Kabankalan in Negros Occidental, which marks its Charter Day Anniversary.
Also the President issued Proclamation 206 making August 5, 2011, a special non-working day in Candelaria, Quezon, which celebrates its foundation day.
“It is but fitting and proper that the people of the Municipality of Candelaria, Quezon, be given full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies,” according to the proclamation.
Both proclamations were signed on July 20, 2011.
Due to appeals for assistance for "blood money" to facilitate the release of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who is now on death row in Saudi Arabia, Malacanang announced the creation of a technical working group to find ways to help address his plight as well as other Filipinos on death row abroad.Migrante Middle East said death row convict Rodelio “Don-Don” Lanuza appealed for help to the Aquino administration through the Department of Foreign of Affairs (DFA).
As a result of this, President Aquino convened recently representatives from concerned agencies to address the plight not only of Lanuza but also other convicted Filipinos in foreign countries.
During the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda announced the creation of a technical working group to come up with a concrete policy regarding blood money for Filipinos including Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), on death row.
He underscored the importance of the technical working group due to the increasing amount of blood money being demanded in exchange for the lives of the convicted Filipinos.
He added that there are several proposals raised during the meeting on how to put up a fund for the blood money and other means to help the convicted Filipinos. “There are proposals and the technical working group will thoroughly study that,” he said.
Aquino recently presided over a meeting with representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Justice (DOJ) and Office of the Political Affairs to tackle these concerns.
“Nagkaroon po ng decision na magtayo ng technical working group at pag-aralan kung ano ba talaga ang magiging polisiya sa pagdating sa blood money. Kasi pataas na po ng pataas ang hinihinging blood money, " Lacierda told reporters.
“Ang assessment po ng DFA is that it is not going to be sustainable in the long- term, so that's why they formed a technical working group to come up with a viable way of addressing the issue of blood money," he added
In 2000, Lanuza was convicted for killing a Saudi national. Lanuza, who claimed self-defense, has been detained in Dammam Central jail, eastern Saudi Arabia. However, in 2003, the victim's family issued an ‘affidavit of desistance’ to Lanuza in exchange for an undisclosed amount of diyya or ‘blood money.’Meanwhile, another convicted OFW Jose Zapanta, 32, a native of Mexico, Pampanga has been detained at the Malaz Central Jail since June, 2009 for killing his Sudanese landlord in what he also claimed to be a case of self-defense.
Aquino declares special non-working days for Candelaria in Quezon and Kabankalan in Negros Occidental
Malacanang declared August 2 and 5 as special non-working days in the City of Kabankalan, Negros Occidental and Candelaria, Quezon to mark the celebration of their respective anniversaries.
President Benigno Aquino III, through Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. , issued Proclamation 205 declaring August 2, 2011 a special non-working day in the City of Kabankalan in Negros Occidental, which marks its Charter Day Anniversary.
Also the President issued Proclamation 206 making August 5, 2011, a special non-working day in Candelaria, Quezon, which celebrates its foundation day.
“It is but fitting and proper that the people of the Municipality of Candelaria, Quezon, be given full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies,” according to the proclamation.
Both proclamations were signed on July 20, 2011.
