Wednesday 17 August 2011

PIA Dispatch - Thursday, August 18, 2011

Aquino to lead Burnham Park public lighting in Baguio City

President Benigno S. Aquino III will lead Friday the public lighting of Burnham Park in Baguio City aimed at boosting tourism as well as raising public awareness on the use of energy saving lights.

During the event, the Chief Executive will switch on the ceremonial button on a panel board with the map of the Burnham Park that will light up the light-emitting diode (LED), which serves as the marker of the lighting system of the park.

The development project in Burnham Park started with funding from the Department of Tourism and the Priority Assistance Development Fund of Congressman Bernardo Vergara, with the assistance of the Department of Energy which undertook modernization of the park’s lighting using energy saving lights.

The lighting project that included the Wright Park, is under the Philippine Energy Efficiency Project (PEEP) with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The DOE replaced all the mercury lights in the park with energy efficient lighting composed of high pressure sodium vapor lamps an

The public lighting program aims to demonstrate energy savings through the adoption of efficient lighting technologies for public lighting.

At the same time, the regional office of the Department of Tourism in Baguio City expects that the development of the Burnham Park into a premiere destination will boost the tourism industry in the city.

Joining the President during the ceremony are Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, Cong. Bernardo Vergara and Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan.

Around 1,000 individuals are expected to attend the event, which will be composed of members of local government units, Baguio City residents, visitors and other guests.(PCOO)



Education sector cites significant improvements under Aquino government

The Department of Education (DepED) said that it has attained significant improvements under the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III since he assumed office in June last year.

DepEd issued the statement in response to a one-page paid advertisement “Ganito tayo noon, bakit nagkaganito tayo ngayon?,” which compared the accomplishments of the previous Arroyo administration to the Aquino government.

Contrary to the advertisement published on August 16 in two newspapers, the Education department said that it will achieve 1:1 textbook-to-student ratio across all levels by December of this year for all core subjects.

“We will achieve 1:1 textbook-to-student ratio across all levels by December for all 5 core subjects--English, Science, Math, Social Studies and Filipino,” it said, adding that it has already started the delivery of textbooks.

As to the salaries of the teachers, DepEd reported that as of July of this year, the basic salary for Teacher 1 is now P17,099, noting that there are 2,807 kindergarten teachers with regular positions who are receiving a basic monthly salary of P17,099.

It added that there are 25,868 volunteer teachers earning P3,000/month/session up to P6,000/month for two sessions. “Among these, Licensure Examination for Teachers passers may apply for regular items that will be opened once the Universal Kindergarten law is signed,” the statement continued.

DepEd also reported that 22,015 classrooms have been constructed in the first year of the Aquino administration with 4,155 constructed from July 2010 to May 2011, 11,169 are for completion within the year and 6,691 classrooms have been rehabilitated.

Under the Aquino administration, classrooms-to-students ratio is 1:39 for Elementary and 1:53 for High School, compared to the previous administration’s 1:39 (Elementary) and 1:55 (High School).

There were also 691,494 Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) beneficiaries receiving P10,000 each for the National Capital Region and P5,000 each outside Metro Manila from 2010 to 2011.

“This was increased to 757,000 beneficiaries under GASTPE education service contracting scheme for SY 2011-2012,” it said, adding that the beneficiaries outside Metro Manila received an additional P500.

As to its Food for School Program, DepEd said that the effort was shifted to the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program under the administration of President Aquino.

“Under the Aquino administration, the effort was shifted to the conditional cash transfer program, however, there are local schools feeding programs implemented in poor provinces initiated by DepEd or the LGU. We also have feeding programs in select areas in partnership with the private sector such as NutriAsia,” the statement stressed. (PCOO)


Aquino declares September 5-9 as 'Production and Operations Management Week'

President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared September 5 to 9, 2011 as “Production and Operations Management Week under the auspices of the Production and Operations Management of the Philippines (PROMAP).

In Proclamation No. 238 signed on August 16, 2011 by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr., the President underscored “the need to focus national attention on the important role production and operations practitioners play in the development of the economy, as well as in the manufacturing sector.”

The President noted that the PROMAP, a non-partisan and non-stock organization, was established to promote industrial development through better and more efficient management of production systems.

The PROMAP will hold its 24th National Convention on Sept. 8 and 9, 2011 at the Century Park Sheraton in Manila with the theme: Winning Back Philippine Manufacturing Competitiveness: An Urgent Imperative.(PCOO)


Coloma underscores role of new media in pursuing Aquino government’s Social Contract with Filipino people

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. underscored the important role of new media in pursuing the Aquino government’s Social Contract with the Filipino people adding that the digital tools could be a very effective platform in establishing a healthy environment as the country inches its way towards progress and development.

In his presentation of the Philippine Government’s Digital Strategy during the 5th Internet and Mobile Marketing summit at the Power Plant Mall of the Rockwell Center in Makati City on Thursday, Coloma stressed President Benigno S. Aquino III’s belief in using new media and the various social networking websites as important tools in bringing the government much closer to the people.

“Our President believes in the use of digital tools and social media and this is part of his philosophy of governance which is to engage the people in continuing conversation and extensive consultations,” Coloma said.

“From the innermost depths of ourselves, from our core… that is what our President would like to know, what is it that we truly feel about the issues that affect us in our country today,” he stressed.

The PCOO chief said that the government assures the people of a responsive and people-centered medium to directly address their concerns on certain issues.

“Specifically, he (President Aquino) also would like to see a government that practices accountability and excellence to provide responsive online citizen-centered services and a thriving knowledge economy through public-private partnership,” Coloma said.

“We are using several media simultaneously in order to obtain maximum effectiveness,” he added.

To provide a vivid visualization of the government’s plan in upgrading its services to the Filipinos, Coloma cited an online portal that it is planning to emulate.

“If you’re familiar with the significant data.gov, this is the kind of approach that is being adapted by many countries in our region, for example Singapore and Australia and they would like to make social media tools for making the government more accessible,” Coloma noted.

At present, Coloma said, there are 23.4 million Filipino facebook users, a popular social networking website, that places the country at the 7th rank globally and third in Asia.

Coloma noted that the President’s vision for the country is to have a digitally-empowered, innovative and globally competitive and prosperous society where everyone has reliable, affordable and secured information access.

According to Coloma, President Aquino was the first Chief Executive to institutionalize a new media strategy through the PCOO and the establishment of his own website, the president.gov.ph.

Coloma explained that such development was due to the fact that the President relied quite significantly on the internet and the mobile media in his campaign for the presidency in May, 2010.

“President Noynoy Aquino used the channels of social media and new media in waging an effective political campaign …” Coloma concluded.(PCOO)


Malacanang says government is set for repatriation of Filipinos in Syria


Malacanang announced on Thursday that the Philippine Airlines (PAL) offered help for the repatriation of Filipinos who are trapped in Syria.

In a regular news briefing in Malacanang held on Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said PAL President and Chief Executive Officer Jaime Bautista is ready to coordinate with the government in mapping out repatriation plans to ensure the safe transport of Filipinos from danger zones in Syria back to the country.

“We would like to thank Philippine Airlines for their help and they have been doing this in the past. In fact, in the recent situation in Libya, PAL also offered to help the Philippine government,” he said.

Lacierda, clarified that the government will shoulder the fuel and cabin crew costs, adding that the DFA will confer with the airline company as to what routes the repatriated Filipinos will take in their return to the Philippines.

The Department of Foreign Affairs raised the crisis alert level in Syria to alert level 3, in light of the continuing political tension in said country and as a precautionary measure for the 17,000 Filipinos there.

Under crisis Alert Level 3, voluntary repatriation at the government’s expense will be offered to Filipinos who wish to leave Syria in light of the escalating tension.

A deployment ban is put in place effective immediately in coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Likewise, all Filipinos are advised not to travel to Syria at this time.(PCOO)