Aquino urges Public Relations practitioners to help in moving the country towards progress and development
President Benigno S. Aquino III urges the Public Relations practitioners to help the government in moving the country towards sustainable progress and development by committing themselves to building a culture of trust and integrity among the Filipino people and the entire society.
In his message delivered by Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio “Sonny” B. Coloma Jr. during the opening ceremonies of the 18th National Public Relations Congress on Thursday at the Manila Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City, the President underscored the importance of every individual’s role in fostering unity and cooperation towards a reformed nation where trust and integrity takes control.
“It is my hope that in this PR Congress, each of you will reflect on how, as individual practitioners, you may be able to help move our country forward by the strength of your personal commitment to building a culture of trust and integrity,” the President said.
“We can only succeed in this endeavor through the convergence of our individual efforts. It is my hope then, that we will be able to foster a rich partnership between the public and private sectors, as we walk together under the guidance of daylight toward our vision of a Philippine society where integrity reigns,” he stressed.
The Chief Executive’s message also imparted the Aquino administration’s commitment to effecting change through its Social Contract with the Filipinos that is being implemented through various programs aimed at benefitting and uplifting the lives of the citizenry.
This commitment entails the President’s vision of a country whose people are energized by a “reawakened sense of right and wrong, from the living example of their highest leaders,” as shared since the start of the Presidential election campaign in the year 2010.
As a result, this commitment earned the people’s trust and confidence resulting to more than 15 million Filipinos casting their votes and entrusting their destiny to the incumbent administration.
“Nearly 15 months later, the Filipino people have every reason to believe that their trust is well-founded,” the President said.
In the latest Pulse Asia survey, 75 per cent or three out of every four Filipinos trust in the leadership of President Aquino with the performance approval rating even higher at 77 per cent. The highest performance ratings of 86 per cent came from those belonging to the class E.
Another survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that there are about one million less Filipino families that have rated themselves poor, a positive proof that the Aquino government’s centerpiece program of good governance has gained traction and has taken root.
President Aquino is presently in the United States to join President Barrack Obama and other world leaders as part of the Steering Committee in the launch of the Open Government Partnership in New York.
Organized by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), the 18th PR Congress aims to help PR professionals redefine their roles as enablers of integrity. It focuses on the role of ethics in PR practice. This year’s theme is “PR in a transparent world, the role of trust and integrity in public relations.”
PRSP is the country’s premier organization for public relations professionals. In its roster are practitioners who represent business and industry, government, non-profit organizations, hospitals, schools, hotels and professional services, among others. (PCOO)
Aquino keynotes IBM centennial
NEW YORK CITY (via PLDT): President Benigno S. Aquino III lauded the Integrated Business Machines (IBM) for evolving with the times and becoming socially and technologically relevant to the growing needs of its client base.
In his keynote speech commemorating IBM’s centennial celebration at the Alice Tully Hall of the Lincoln Center here Wednesday, the President cited the company’s innovative and calculated risk-taking genius that has made IBM one of the leaders in information technology of its clientele.
“It is an honor to be here at the IBM on its centennial, and to speak before such distinguished people about what I view as the future of leadership in the 21st century,” the President said.
“Who would have imagine a business that initially made scales, clocks, and tabulating machines would one day be at the head of the pack in information technology, with a globally integrated enterprise employing more than 400,000 people? As the world evolved, so did IBM; when the world sought new answers to new concerns, IBM responded,” the President said.
He told IBM officials and other guests present that his elder sister Pinky was an employee of IBM and it was in the halls of the company that his sister met her husband Manolo.
“This goes to show that I am here this morning not only as President of a country that is grateful for your investments, I am here as a friend of the company — a friend to innovation, and a friend to harnessing the positive energies borne of risk-taking and the recognition of opportunities,” the President said. (PCOO)
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Aquino calls on US Senator Daniel Inouye in Washington D.C.
WASHINGTON DC (via PLDT) – President Benigno S. Aquino III called on US Senator Daniel Inouye during his visit to the United States capital on the second leg of his four-day official working visit to the US Wednesday.
The Chief Executive, who was joined by Cabinet members led by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, Transportation Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas and Presidential Communications and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ramon Carandang, met with Inouye at the Senator’s Committee on Appropriations Office at the ground floor of the Capitol Building here.
The President took the time to personally thank the US Senator, who is also Senate Pro-Temporare, for all the help extended to the Filipino people during the meeting that lasted for 15-minutes.
“The purpose of the whole trip is to personally thank you for so many things. Thanks to you, we’ve had a very productive trip,” the President told Inouye.
In response, Inouye vowed to continue supporting President Aquino’s administration and the Filipino people.
Daniel K. Inouye, the most senior member of the U.S. Senate and the President Pro-Tempore, is known for his distinguished record as a legislative leader, and as a World War II combat veteran with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, who earned the nation’s highest award for military valor, the Medal of Honor.
Although he was thrust into the limelight in the 1970s as a member of the Watergate Committee and in 1987 as Chairman of the Iran-Contra Committee, he has also made his mark as a respected legislator able to work in a bipartisan fashion to enact meaningful legislation.
As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Inouye has been able to focus on defense matters that strengthen national security, and enhance the quality of life for military personnel and their families. This reflects his hope for a more secure world, and his desire to provide the best possible assistance to the men and women who put their lives at risk to protect the United States.
In addition, he is the Ranking Democrat on the Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee and the Indian Affairs Committee and sits on the Rules Committee. He helped establish the Inter-parliamentary Exchange Program between the U.S. Senate and Japan’s legislature, and in 2000 the Government of Japan presented him with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.
Early in his tenure in the Senate, Senator Inouye delivered the keynote address at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and was under consideration to become Hubert Humphrey’s vice-presidential running mate that same year. He became the first Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in 1976, served as the third-ranking leader among Senate Democrats as Secretary of the Democratic Conference from January 1979 through 1988. He chaired the Senate Democratic Central America Study Group to assess U.S. policy and served as Senior Counselor to the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America. (PCOO)
Gov't needs to be nimble and adaptable enough in order to respond to challenges – Aquino
NEW YORK CITY (via PLDT) – President Benigno S. Aquino III underscored on Wednesday the need for government to keep up with the times and to be “nimble and adaptable enough” so that it can act relevantly to any challenges that may arise.
In his keynote speech commemorating IBM’s centennial celebration, the President said that the challenge that any government faces in this day and age of the internet and social networking, is to approach different situations with “pragmatic idealism.”
“Deng Xiaoping saw the first glimmers of this, and expressed it in his famous maxim, and I quote:, 'IIt does not matter whether the cat is black or white; what matters is that it catches mice,'" the President said.
“He meant, I believe, that the ideological paradigms of political leadership common in the last century cannot account for the complexities in today’s societies, and governments need to be nimble and adaptable enough in order to respond to challenges as they arise. The challenge is to approach different situations with a certain pragmatic idealism,” he stressed.
He said that his administration has done away with paying attention to “ideological labels” and has instead focused on the clamor of the people.
“It means the only compass that I refer to is my people,” the President said.
“Labels are not important to me; what is important are practical solutions that will address the needs of my people. For example, we are trying to create an environment where businesses can thrive at a leveled playing field, with clear and consistent rules so that they will not be afraid to come in and invest. My government considers free market principles as a solid basis for economic growth,” the President said.
“At the same time, however, we recognize that this growth is not always even; the danger of untrammeled capitalism is that it can condemn the poor to being permanently poor. Growth must be inclusive; progress must be equitable,” he added. (PCOO)
Aquino vows to remove people's disillusionment with government
WASHINGTON DC (via PLDT) – President Benigno S. Aquino III vowed on Wednesday to replace the people’s disillusionment with government by “putting in place strategic interventions that promote not just growth but inclusive growth.”
He told officials and employees of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund at its annual meeting here that despite decades of trauma borne of corruption and impunity, the Filipino people still have a renewed sense of optimism that needs to be nurtured further.
“Institutions have been eroded to the point that doubt is a Filipino’s first instinct when dealing with government. Decades of trauma borne of corruption and impunity have festered and calcified, and while my people approach the future with a renewed sense of optimism, it remains a guarded optimism, a hope that is only now beginning to take the first important steps away from disillusionment,” the President said.
“My government is determined to stoke that hope by putting in place strategic interventions that promote not just growth, but inclusive growth,” he stressed.
These interventions, the President said, include increased spending on social services (health and education), expand and improve the government’s conditional cash transfer program that will provide stipends to less fortunate families, provided they keep their children in school and visit their health centers regularly, ending large scale corruption that had become a common occurrence over the past decade and implementing a zero based budgeting process that evaluates the effectiveness of government programs.
“These reforms are paying off. The savings generated by more honest and transparent budgeting have allowed us to increase spending on social services and defense without having to increase taxes this year,” the President said.
These, the President noted, have earned accolades from the international community as evidenced by the four positive rating actions over the past fifteen months, a stark contrast to the lone upgrade and six downgrades meted out to the Philippines in the nine and a half years of the previous administration.
“This, on top of the recently-released World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report, in which my country posted a ten-point jump in ranking,, the biggest improvement we have ever recorded in the report,” the President said.
“In my recent trip to China alone, we were able to acquire 1.2 billion dollars in new investments; and, with an estimated 11.7 billion dollars more in potential investments, this number is sure to grow,” he added.
The President pointed out that “these foreign investments, and the equally important investments coming from domestic sources, are in large part responsible for the jobs that have been created within our administration."
“There are a million new entrants to the labor force every year," he continued, "meaning that keeping our 8 percent unemployment rate from going up meant creating a million jobs every year. But we were not only able to maintain it; we improved on it by bringing it down to 7.2 percent. This does not factor in the fact that 2010 was an election year, creating an employment spike during an election period,” the President said.
“Ending corruption means not only cleaning up the system, but holding accountable those who have wronged my people. Accountability allows closure to the many sins committed against my people over the past generations. Without accountability, there will be no certainty that others will not follow in the footsteps of those who have wronged my people. Without accountability, the entrenched culture of impunity will remain, the corrupt will continue to flourish and steal, and the atmosphere of doubt and mistrust will continue to linger even as we rebuild our institutions,” he concluded. (PCOO)
Finding solutions to problems of the country ‘easy’ with will of the people – President Aquino
WASHINGTON DC (via PLDT) – President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Wednesday that finding the solutions to the numerous problems he has encountered in his first year in office was not as impossible as once was thought of especially since the backing and will of the people have been beside him from the start.
In his speech keynoting his meeting with the Filipino community held at the Fairfax hotel here, the President enjoined all others to join him and his government in effecting permanent changes for the good of the country.
“And in the first year that we are in office, what is really surprising is that there are so many problems that were left to us. But what is even more surprising is the fact that each problem does present a lot of opportunities, the solutions were not as impossible as once was thought. And all it takes really is the will of the people to make sure that the changes we are now making on our country become permanent changes for the better,” the President said.
“I will be the first to admit i cannot do it alone. My cabinet will join me in saying we cannot do it alone. But if all of us are focused in just one sentence, we are not accepting the status quo. We will transform our country...and we are changing our country. Then it’s all a question of time as to when you see the Philippines, we look at it in a very different light,” he added. (PCOO)
Aquino announces P9-billion budget surplus
WASHINGTON DC (via PLDT) – President Benigno S. Aquino III announced on Wednesday that the Philippines had a budget surplus of P9-billion for the month of August.
The President made the announcement in his speech at a meeting with the Filipino community held at the Fairfax Hotel here.
“And the good news is for the month of August, we have a budget surplus of 9 billion pesos,” the President said.
He, however, said that the reason for the surplus was because the government was underspending.
“The downside is we are very far from the program budget deficit which means that there are certain quarters in our country that say we are underspending. Okay ho ba yun? Kulang ang ginagastos nyo,” the President said.
“Kailangan gumastos tayo dahil maiipit yung paglago ng ekonomiya kung hindi natin gagastusan. Mas maganda na ho yatang problema yun,” he added.
In a separate interview, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said that increased revenue collections were also behind the budget surplus.
“Kasi ang spending natin from January to August 2011 is bigger than the same period in 2010. So, we are continually spending well but in this instance the increase in revenues is greater than the decrease in the improvements in spending,” Abad said. (PCOO)
Malacanang set to help transport industry convert vehicles to LPG
In line with President Benigno S. Aquino III’s initiative to help public utility drivers to raise their income, Malacanang announced on Thursday that it is pushing for a program that would help them finance the shift or conversion of their jeepney engines from diesel-run to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)-powered at the soonest possible time.
The President assured the transport groups that the national government would do its best to help them by coming out with a commercial solution – the conversion of their passenger jeepney engines - through a loan package, according to Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda during a news briefing held in Malacanang.
The objective of the project is to help jeepney drivers cope with the impact of the rising oil prices in the global market.
Lacierda said that the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) started its study to ensure that LPG-run engines have safety features and in accordance to the Clean Air Act.
He said the LPG-powered jeeps must be environment-friendly and economical, promote and protect the environment against air pollution. Most importantly, Lacierda said the LPG-powered vehicles must increase the income of PUJ operators and drivers.
Lacierda noted that part of the DOTC study is the cost of the conversion as the government plans to come out with a scheme so the jeepney drivers can avail of the loan packages. .
Lacierda also revealed that the DOTC and Department of Energy (DOE) will continue to hold dialogues with the transport sector.
President Aquino had met with the transport groups last week and immediately addressed several of their concerns, including the kotong (extortion) issue, the appeal for implementation of the single ticketing and the review of the Oil Deregulation Law. (PCOO)
