New tourism secretary to assume post by the end of the month, Aquino says
BAGUIO CITY: A new secretary of tourism will assume office late this month following the resignation of Secretary Alberto Lim, President Benigno Aquino III said on Friday.
BAGUIO CITY: A new secretary of tourism will assume office late this month following the resignation of Secretary Alberto Lim, President Benigno Aquino III said on Friday.
“That is done, there is already a replacement. He will take office, by August 31, if I am not mistaken,” the President said during an interview in Camp John Hay here.
However, the President declined to reveal the name of the new tourism secretary because he wants “to use the time to situate himself properly to take over the function.”
Asked by reporters to describe the new secretary of tourism, the President said: “he has the qualities that are necessary that I think can fast track tourism growth. So, I would rather let him talk about the plans that he will be implementing.”
He added that the new tourism chief comes from the private sector, adding that he’s willing to do some sacrifices by leaving his job.
He has been studying the Tourism Act, the bureaucracies as well as how to work with government, so by the end of the month, the new secretary will be ready to assume the post, the President said.
Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said last week that he was leaving the Cabinet to focus more on his family thanking the President for giving him the opportunity to serve the people. Lim said his resignation is effective August 31, 2011.
Aquino asks people of Cordillera to preserve their tourist spots, natural resources
BAGUIO CITY: The people of the Cordillera region must preserve their natural resources and tourist spots to entice more tourists to visit the region, President Bengino Aquino III said in an interview in Camp John Hay here on Friday.
Aquino asks people of Cordillera to preserve their tourist spots, natural resources
BAGUIO CITY: The people of the Cordillera region must preserve their natural resources and tourist spots to entice more tourists to visit the region, President Bengino Aquino III said in an interview in Camp John Hay here on Friday.
The president, who is visiting Baguio City to highlight its tourist attractions, said it is sad that some of tourist destinations in Cordillera disappeared because of abuse and neglect.
“Napakarami ng attractions dito but first preserve what you have. Maraming puwedeng gawin pero ang kailangan siguro ay ‘yung pag-aayos ng attitude ng ating mga kababayan. Ang natural resources na nandito existing for so long sayang naman kung hindi natin ipe-preserve para mapakinabangan ng mga susunod na mga salinlahi,” the president said when asked how his administration promotes tourism in the region.
“Yung dalaw natin dito sa mga zip line at saka para sa pag-highlight nga ng mga activities na hindi mo magagawa sa National Capital Region, di magagawa in other places nearby, iha-highlight. But more than anything the tourism industry for the entire country has to deal with the infrastructure,” he added.
The President was in Baguio City to lead the public lighting of Burnham and Wright Parks as part of their improvement especially the replacement of old lighting systems.
At the same time, the President mentioned the Caticlan airport in Aklan, which was renovated by the San Miguel Corp. saying the government expects to increase the tourist arrival there to three million once the developments are made. These include the expansion of the runway, adding more facilities needed for night landing.
In Metro Manila, he said part of the plan is to decongest the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and to consider the nautical highway proposal.
Aside from protecting the tourists that visit the country, the President said there must also be some reforms in the bureaucracy to make it easier for visitors to come to the Philippines.
US report lauds decline of terrorism in PHL, says Malacanang
Malacanang on Saturday expressed elation over the US State department’s report noting a continued decline of the terrorist activities in the Philippines.
US report lauds decline of terrorism in PHL, says Malacanang
Malacanang on Saturday expressed elation over the US State department’s report noting a continued decline of the terrorist activities in the Philippines.
Deputy Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the government will consider the report as an indication to further improve its counter terrorism efforts.
“We are very happy about this development and we will take this as an indication to further our counter terrorism efforts,” Valte said.
“So at least naipapakita naman po natin that we are serious about the safety and security of our country,” she added over government-run radio station, dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
The US State Department, in its “Country Reports on Terrorism 2010,” reported that the terrorist activities in the Philippines declined in the past year. “The ability of terrorist groups, such as Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah and the New People’s Army, to conduct terrorist activities inside the Philippines continued to decline,” the report said.
“The Philippine government, with US support, has kept constant pressure on terrorist groups even as their security services were stretched thin by other demands such as carrying out humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and providing security for the national election in May,” it added.
The US State Department also lauded the Philippine law enforcers for their “vigorous efforts to arrest terrorists and eliminate safe havens, and closely coordinated efforts with US law enforcement officers.”
Joint report of World Bank and Australian Agency optimistic over gov’t’s poverty reduction effort
Malacanang welcomed on Saturday the joint report of the World Bank (WB) and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) saying that the Aquino administration’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) for the poor is expected to raise annual income of beneficiaries by 12.6 percent.
Joint report of World Bank and Australian Agency optimistic over gov’t’s poverty reduction effort
Malacanang welcomed on Saturday the joint report of the World Bank (WB) and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) saying that the Aquino administration’s conditional cash transfer (CCT) for the poor is expected to raise annual income of beneficiaries by 12.6 percent.
“The WB-AusAID report reaffirms our belief that this program is a solid foundation for improving the quality of life of Filipinos,” said Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda in a statement. Quoting the WB-AusAID report which was released on Friday, Lacierda said the program can “reduce overall food poverty in program areas by 5.5 percent.”
“This further validates the Executive Branch’s proposal to increase the CCT budget in order to widen its reach. The WB-AusAID report validates what we have been saying all along—that the 4Ps is an investment in the people,” Lacierda said.
He further stated that, “And while the increase in household incomes is indeed an intended objective of the program, the government’s overall social program involves much more in ensuring that beneficiaries remain healthy, educated, and productive, thus giving them the ability to raise their lots in life.”
“The 4Psprogram, while ensuring that its beneficiaries have enough resources, also creates, in the long term, a skilled and productive citizenry that can reap the gains that will be generated by a robust national economy,” he said.
He stressed, “It is in fact only one aspect of a wide-ranging strategy toward inclusive growth: the government is continuously working toward ensuring a level playing field that will encourage investors and generate jobs. This lifts our countrymen outof poverty, creating a financially empowered consumer base and further spurring growth, which, ultimately, will lead to our vision of an equitably progressive nation.”
Pantawid Pamilya aims to reduce poverty and improve children’s health and schooling as well as maternal health in poor households in the poorest provinces and municipalities in the country.
The WB noted that the simulations it conducted with the AusAID showed that the conditional cash transfer (CCT) scheme could increase annual incomes of beneficiaries by 12.6%.
“Studies of various CCT programs worldwide have shown how such transfers are indeed directed towards prioritizing food on the table. If this is so, results suggest that the Pantawid Pamilya grant can reduce food poverty among household beneficiaries by 13.3 percentage points. Consequently, it can reduce overall food poverty in program areas by 5.5 percentage points,” the report said.
In an interview over government-run dzRB Radyo by Bayan on Saturday, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Palace was elated over the WB-AusAID report citing that the Aquino administration’s CCT program called Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) can reduce poverty in the country.
