Aquino declares Nov. 14 to 18 as ‘Civil Engineering Week’
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared the period of November 14 to 18, 2011 as "Civil Engineering Week" to underscore the need to focus national attention on the importance of the civil engineering profession and highlight its role in nation building.
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared the period of November 14 to 18, 2011 as "Civil Engineering Week" to underscore the need to focus national attention on the importance of the civil engineering profession and highlight its role in nation building.
In a regular press briefing in Malacanang on Wednesday, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Proclamation No. 272 which was signed on October 11, 2011 by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. on behalf of the President.
"The Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Inc. (PICE) is composed of more than 68,495 registered civil engineer-members in 97 chapters and some 15,135 civil engineering student-members in 166 student chapters throughout the country," the proclamation said.
The PICE’s celebration of the “Civil Engineering Week” is in conjunction with the 37th National Convention on November 17-19, 2011 at the Limketkai Atrium and Grand Caprice Restaurant and Convention Center, Cagayan de Oro City.
The history of civil engineering as a profession dates back to 1920 when the Philippine Society of Civil Engineers (PSCE) was founded by a group of civil engineers mostly in government. In 1937, a group of civil engineers from the private sector organized the Philippine Association of Civil Engineers (PACE).
Realizing that the two organizations shared the same objectives of raising the standards of the profession, encouraging research and engineering knowledge and technology, fostering fellowship among their members, and promoting interrelation with other technological and scientific societies, the PSCE and PACE merged in 1972 to form what is now known as the PICE. (PCOO)
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Ochoa directs PNP to beef up visibility for Christmas season
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on Wednesday directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to step up security and peacekeeping efforts to effectively deter crimes with the onset of the Christmas season.
In a command conference held at the PNP Headquarters, Ochoa, who also heads the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), said the administration is concerned with the reported frequency of crime incidence and urged police officials to exert effort that is over-and-above their routine operations to curb criminality nationwide.
“We should not just accept the usual notion that every Christmas season, crime incidence is expected to go up. That should not be the case. If we already know that crime will rise during this time of the year then let us do something new, something out of the box, to prevent this,” Ochoa stressed in the meeting.
The Executive Secretary said the PNP must increase police presence and conduct high-visibility patrols around the country to fight crimes.
Ochoa said crimes could be prevented if more law enforcers are visible on the street and even encouraged police generals to “go out and be in the field” to have a better assessment of the situation on the ground.
He underscored the importance of actual physical presence of police officers in the community, submission of periodical reports on the peace and order situation, as well as thorough and intelligent assessment of reports from the field in putting together a well-crafted and coordinated security plan.
“A real, actual and significant movement of the police force is an effective tool for us to make sure that crime is prevented,” Ochoa said. “We cannot afford to be lax.”
Ochoa reminded the PNP leadership of its primary role in ensuring the full implementation of government programs and operations in addressing criminality and maintaining peace and order in the country. The PAOCC’s function, on the other hand, is to provide guidance and policy directions to the police force when needed, according to Ochoa.
Ochoa then assured the PNP that the administration is completely behind the police force to help them carry out its mission to serve and protect the public.
“The President fully supports the PNP and we are committed to provide you the resources necessary for you to do your job," Ochoa said. (PCOO)
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Aquino declares October of every year as ‘People Management Month’
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared the month of October of every year as "People Management Month."
The Chief Executive issued Proclamation No. 271 on October 11, 2011, according to Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigal Valte during a regular press briefing in Malacanang on Wednesday.
The President said the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) will hold its 48th Annual Conference on October 12-14, 2011in Cagayan de Oro City with the theme, “Tao Muna, Tayo Na! The Human Resources mandate in the new world."
The conference will bring together thousands of human resource and people managers, business executives, leaders from the academe, religious and government sectors to discuss trends and issues that impact on the management and development of the country’s human capital.
The occasion will also feature the implications of the changing environment on managing business, people and their behavior, as well as effective practices in people management. (PCOO)
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Aquino issues Administrative Order No. 22 prescribing rules/regulations governing appeals to Office of the President
President Benigno S. Aquino III has issued Administrative Order (AO) No. 22 prescribing rules and regulations governing appeals to the Office of the President.
The Chief Executive issued the AO on October 11, 2011 to repeal AO 18 that was signed in 1987, according to Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte during a regular press briefing in Malacanang on Wednesday.
"In view of the lapse of time and experience gained from the past, some of the provisions of AO No. 18 (series 1987), as amended, need revision to address issues that have arisen and to update the rules to meet the requirements of existing policies and laws, without, however, diminishing the right of the President to refuse to give due course to appeals or petitions for review in cases where there is no express provision of law recognizing the right of the parties to appeal to the Office of the President;" Valte said quoting the AO.
The new AO was promulgated to also prescribe the rules and regulations for petitions for review filed with the Office of the President.
"Section 1. Period to appeal. Unless otherwise provided by special law, an appeal to the Office of the President shall be taken within fifteen (15) days from notice of the aggrieved party of the decision/resolution/order appealed from, or of the denial, in part or in whole, of a motion for reconsideration duly filed in accordance with the governing law of the department or agency concerned," the AO said.
"The appeal shall be taken by filing a Notice of Appeal with the Office of the President, with proof of service of a copy thereof to the department or agency concerned and the affected parties, and payment of the appeal fee," Valte said citing Section 2 of the AO.
"The appeal fee now stands at P1,500. For appeals of deportation orders from the Bureau of Immigration, the appeal fee stands at P10,000. However, pauper litigants who are duly certified as such shall be exempted from payment of the appeal fee," Valte said in accordance with Section 3.
"Within ten (10) days from receipt of a copy of the Notice of Appeal, the department or agency concerned shall transmit to the Office of the President the complete records of the case with each page consecutively numbered and initialled by the custodian of the records, together with a summary of proceedings thereon from the filing of the complaint or petition before the office of origin up to transmittal to the Office of the President in chronological order indicating the action taken, incidents resolved, and listing of all pleadings, motions, manifestations, annexes, exhibits and other papers or documents filed by the contending parties, the corresponding orders, resolutions and decisions, as required in Memorandum Circular (MC)No. 123 (s. 1991)," the AO said.
"The appeal shall be deemed perfected upon the filing of the Notice of Appeal, payment of the appeal fee, and the filing of the appeal memorandum," it further said.
"The appeal memorandum shall be filed within thirty (30) days from the date the Notice of Appeal is filed, with proof of service of a copy thereof to the department or agency concerned and the affected parties," the AO said.
"Notwithstanding an appeal, found in Section 15, or petition for review of the decision of the Office of the President (OP) to the Court of Appeal or to the Supreme Court, the decision of the OP is executory, and the records will be remanded to the department or agency where the case originated, unless the CA or the SC issues an order staying the execution. Likewise, in ordinary procedure, the appeal—there is also a procedure for the withdrawal of the appeal," it added. (PCOO)
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Aquino vows appointment of competent, independent officials in carrying out government reforms
President Benigno S. Aquino III vowed to continue appointing competent, principled and independent officials in government to build strong institutions for the benefit of the Filipino people.
“Matapos ang madilim na kabanata ng nakaraang dekada nagtalaga tayo at magtatalaga pa ng mga lingkod bayang malinis ang hangarin,” the President said in his message during a leadership conference at the Ateneo de Manila University on Wednesday.
The Ateneo School of Government held Wednesday the leadership conference titled “Good Governance: Are the Constitutional Commissions its Guardians?” The Ateneo School of Government produces new leaders in the country, bringing new meaning on good governance in the Philippines.
After the Marcos dictatorship, the President said there’s a need to organize new constitutional commissions to get rid of corruption in government and strengthen democracy.
The 1987 Constitution created new constitutional commissions after many institutions became puppets of the Marcos government undermining the capability of those institutions to function normally.
In the past decade, the President said there was an intentional move by corrupt leaders to undermine the true mandate of constitutional commissions by appointing incompetent officials, citing the Office of the Ombudsman and its handling of the Mega Pacific case as well as the Garcia plunder case plea bargaining agreement.
The key to reform is to appoint competent principled officials, the President stressed.
“Hindi na puwede ang mga kasarili, hindi na puwede ang may kaduda-dudang mga intensyon. Kapag nagtalaga tayo ng lider na tapat at may paninindigan ay ipinapakita nito kung gaano kaseryoso ang gobyerno sa pagpapatupad sa mga sinumpaan nitong panata,” he said.
The sincerity of the present administration for reform was manifested by the appointment of Grace Pullido Tan and Heidi Mendoza to the Commission on Audit (COA) and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales to the Office of the Ombudsman, he said.
Although some of the cases filed against the members of the previous government moves slowly, the President said his administration is doing everything to build strong cases against them.
At the same time, the President said he observed major changes in people’s perception of governance saying the public has become more participative. The people now join the fight against corruption compared to previous decade, he said. (PCOO)
