Aquino confident Senate will appreciate merits of impeachment case against Corona
President Benigno S. Aquino III is confident the Senate will similarly vote to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona based on the Articles of Impeachment the Lower House had endorsed to the Senate.
In an interview, the President said the senators will appreciate the impeachment case leveled at Corona based on its merits.
“Tama sigurong sabihin [na] may kumpyansa ako doon sa mga hinain na kaso. ‘Yung Articles of Impeachment embodies ‘yung paniniwala nating kakulangan sa pamumuno ni Ginoong Corona at ‘yung mga pinaggagawa po [niya] na naaapektuhan ang sambayanan,” the President said.
“So…it follows [na] kung matibay ‘yung kaso at inaasahan natin ‘yung mga senador, ang mga hinalal na kinatawan ng ating taumbayan, ay susunod naman sila sa tugon ng ating mga boss,” he added.
The House of Representatives on Monday impeached Corona after 188 Congressmen signed the Articles of Impeachment against him for culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption and the betrayal of public trust. (PCOO)
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Aquino joins Volunteer Fire Fighters in celebration of 25th year anniversary
President Benigno S. Aquino III joined the Association of Volunteer Fire Chiefs and Fire Fighters of the Philippines, Incorporated (AVFCFFPI) in celebrating the group’s 25th year of existence at the Centennial Ballroom of the Manila Hotel on Tuesday.
President Benigno S. Aquino III is confident the Senate will similarly vote to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona based on the Articles of Impeachment the Lower House had endorsed to the Senate.
In an interview, the President said the senators will appreciate the impeachment case leveled at Corona based on its merits.
“Tama sigurong sabihin [na] may kumpyansa ako doon sa mga hinain na kaso. ‘Yung Articles of Impeachment embodies ‘yung paniniwala nating kakulangan sa pamumuno ni Ginoong Corona at ‘yung mga pinaggagawa po [niya] na naaapektuhan ang sambayanan,” the President said.
“So…it follows [na] kung matibay ‘yung kaso at inaasahan natin ‘yung mga senador, ang mga hinalal na kinatawan ng ating taumbayan, ay susunod naman sila sa tugon ng ating mga boss,” he added.
The House of Representatives on Monday impeached Corona after 188 Congressmen signed the Articles of Impeachment against him for culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption and the betrayal of public trust. (PCOO)
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Aquino joins Volunteer Fire Fighters in celebration of 25th year anniversary
President Benigno S. Aquino III joined the Association of Volunteer Fire Chiefs and Fire Fighters of the Philippines, Incorporated (AVFCFFPI) in celebrating the group’s 25th year of existence at the Centennial Ballroom of the Manila Hotel on Tuesday.
The President also led the induction of the newly elected officers of the AVFCFFPI led by its incoming president Jose Go.
In his speech keynoting the event, the President lauded the association of volunteer fire fighters for their selfless sacrifice of putting their lives on the line to save others.
“Iyan nga po siguro ang diwa ng pagiging volunteer: ang pag-una sa kapakanan ng iba kaysa sa sarili; ang pagbubukas ng loob sa kapwa, at ang pagbubuhos ng pawis, at minsan, buhay, upang siguruhing walang maiiwan,” the President said.
“Isang henerasyon na po ninyong isinabuhay ang diwang ito. Dalawampu't limang taon nang nakaantabay laban sa sunog ang Association of Volunteer Fire Chiefs and Fire Fighters of the Philippines Incorporated--walang kinatatakutang peligro, buo ang loob na sumusugod upang magligtas ng buhay at ari-arian ng kapwa Pilipino,” he added.
The President thanked the group for joining government efforts and enjoined them to continue this partnership towards bringing progress to the people.
“Salamat sa pagiging kasangga ng ating gobyerno sa pagtutulak ng bayan tungo sa tuloy-tuloy na pag-asenso, at sa pagtiyak na hindi iilan lamang ang nakaka-angkas sa progreso,” the President said.
“Patuloy po sana tayong magkapit-bisig, magsilbing gabay at maging bukal ng pag-asa sa bawat paghakbang natin sa tuwid na daan. Kasama kayo, sampu ng sambayanang Pilipino, abot-kamay na po natin ang ating mga mithiin,” he added. (PCOO)
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Aquino honors this year’s ‘Gawad Saka’ awardees
President Benigno S. Aquino III led this year’s Gawad Saka awarding ceremonies honoring the country’s outstanding farmers and fisherfolk at the Rizal Hall in Malacanang.
In his message after handing out the awards, the President said the Gawad Saka signifies the tremendous potential of the country’s agriculture sector to the national economy and people’s lives.
“Taus-puso ko pong binabati ang mga tumanggap ng Gawad Saka ngayong taon na nagpamalas ng kanilang katangi-tanging sipag at husay sa pagpapaunlad ng sektor ng pambansang sakahan at pangisdaan. Nawa’y patuloy kayong magpamalas at magbahagi ng inyong mayamang kaalaman na malaki ang naiambag sa pambansang kaunlaran,” the President said.
Like farmers fighting pests and diseases, the President said his administration is initiating reforms in the government so that the country moves faster towards national progress.
The agriculture sector will always be a priority of his administration, he said, noting the plans that he lined up to develop the sector further in the coming years.
For instance, the national government allotted P61 billion for the annual budget of the Department of Agriculture (DA) for 2012, which is a 60-percent increase from the previous year.
Among the Gawad Saka awardees include: Anna Cagulada (Davao del Norte), Integrated Rice farming; Alfredo Roble (Leyte), Hybrid rice farming; Diosdado Bermudez (Ilagan, Isabela), Corn Farming; Wilfredo Martinez (San Luis, Aurora), Coconut farming; Roberto Cauilan (Solana, Cagayan), Sugarcane farming; Francisco Ching (Mankayan, Benguet), High Value crops farming; Ian Neo (Apokon, Tagum City), Agri-entrepreneur; Benjamin Lao (Bansalan, Davao del Sur), Organic Farming;
Danilo Trongco (Lagangilang, Abra), Fish Culture; Eddie Amorada (Sta. Ana, Cagayan), Fish Capture; Desiderio Lou (Bacong, Negros Oriental), Large Animal Raising; Genice Dalisdis (Tuba, Benguet), Small Animal raising; Anthony Suguitao (Aroroy, Masbate), Yong Farmer; Ceferino Dureza and family (Brooke’s Point, Palawan), Farmer; Cabacungan 4H Club (Allen, Northern Samar), Young Farmers/Fisherfolk Organization;
Balidbid Ric (Salcedo, Ilocos Sur), Rural Improvement Club; Calumpit Multi-purpose Cooperative (Sablayan Occidental Mindoro), Small Farmer/Fisherfolk Organization; Kayapa Nueva Viscaya MAFC (Nueva Viscaya), City/Municipal Agricultural and Fishery Council; Barangay Rebokon (Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur), Outstanding Barangay Food Terminal; Sayapot MPC (Tadian, Mt. Province), Outstanding Barangay Food Terminal; Bani FARMC (Bani, Pangasinan), Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council; and Carlso dela Cruz (Abuyog, Leyte), Agricultural Scientist.
For their feat, the 22 winners received cash awards and agri-fishery project grants, as well as respective Presidential citation and Gawad Saka trophy.
The 13 national Gawad Saka individual winners also received P100,000 cash, while the eight group winners received project grants, ranging from P150,000 to P350,000. All received a Presidential citation and Gawad Saka trophy.
Gawad Saka, which started in 1970, is an annual contest for farmers, fisherfolk, livestock raisers, and farmers’ and fisherfolk’s groups and organizations. It is conducted nationwide by DA in partnership with local government units (LGUs), academe and the private sector to recognize their continuing efforts and contribution to nation-building. (PCOO)
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Aquino says he was not disrupting country’s democracy in supporting Articles of Impeachment against Corona
Neither the country’s democracy nor the independence of the constitutionally-mandated government institutions are being compromised in the administration’s quest to effect changes in the Philippine justice system via the possible ouster of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Tuesday.
The President said he was not disrupting the country’s democracy with his decision to support the Articles of Impeachment passed by the House of Representatives last Monday against the controversial chief magistrate contrary to the concerns expressed by various legal experts and constitutionalists.
Reports claimed that this early legal experts and constitutionalists through their opinions conveyed fears over the rapid turn of developments lately concerning the state of the Supreme Court, whose highest official will be facing an impeachment trial at the Senate anytime soon, and its effects to the country’s democratic processes.
“Ang pagsasalita pa lang nila ebidensya na siguro na hindi nadidiskaril ang ating demokrasya at bagkus buhay na buhay ang ating demokrasya. ‘Yung pagpapalitan ng kanilang opinyon, ‘di ba, may nagmumungkahi, mayroong kontra doon; ‘pag nag-dayalogo, nagkausap, mapapaganda nila ‘yung mungkahi ng nauna. So ‘yun lang po ang nangyayari sa ating proseso ngayon dito,” the President told reporters after speaking before a gathering of politicians at the Edsa Shangri-la hotel in Ortigas, Mandaluyong City.
In his speech, President Aquino spelled out a number of reasons why they believe Chief Justice Corona is no longer fit to lead the Supreme Court foremost of which is his strong association to former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who was his appointing authority.
“Sobra-sobra na po ang ebidensya; aasa pa ba tayong magbabago si Ginoong Corona? Naging kumbinsido po tayo na pagdating kay Ginang Arroyo, walang tama o maling kinikilala si Ginoong Corona,” the President said.
The President cited cases involving Arroyo herself, erstwhile Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, the League of Cities in the Philippines, the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines, and midnight appointee Bai Omera-Lucman of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, saying that the Supreme Court’s decisions over these matters brought grave implications to the country.
“Walang patutunguhan ang ating pagsisikap kung bago pa man tayo dumulog sa husgado ay kargado na pala ang timbangan. Malinaw po ang katotohanan: Si Ginoong Corona ay itinalaga sa Korte Suprema, hindi bilang alagad ng katarungan, kundi bilang alagad ni Ginang Arroyo,” he stressed.
“Ang lahat po ng ito ay malinaw na paglapastangan sa kapangyarihang kaloob sa kanya ng taumbayan. Dumadaan tayo ngayon sa isang proseso upang pigilan ang patuloy na pagdurog ng iisang pariwarang mahistrado sa sagradong institusyon ng Korte Suprema: isang institusyong inaasahan ng taong maging bukal ng katuwiran at sandigan ng patas at walang-kinikilingang katarungan. Hindi po tayo magpapamana sa susunod na salin-lahi ng isang Korte Supremang pugad ng katiwalian,” the President said further.
The President, moreover, doused cold water over doubts that any magistrate he will appoint to the Supreme Court, once the embattled Corona is formally ousted through the impeachment process, shall ever be beholden to him.
“Bakit hindi ninyo tingnan ‘yung mga na-appoint ko na? Mayroon bang beholden? Have they voted every time in our favor? Or perhaps even the perception of what I would have wanted as far as a decision is concerned? I think the justices themselves that I appointed will tell you,” he said.
President Aquino has so far only appointed three of the Supreme Court associate justices namely Maria Lourdes Sereno, Bienvenido Reyes, and Estela Perlas-Bernabe. (PCOO)
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Agriculture is always a top priority – Aquino
President Benigno S. Aquino III outlined his administration’s plan for the country’s agriculture sector saying ensuring enough food for the people always remains his top priority.
“Mananatili pong prayoridad ng gobyerno ang pagpapalakas ng agrikultura na alam nating manganganak naman ng pagsulong ng kalakhang ekonomiya sa kanayunan,” the President said before the farmers and fisherfolks who attended this year’s Gawad Saka awards at Malacanang’s Rizal Hall.
Among these plans include the farm-to-plate strategy, which will fast track government services to farmers and fishermen and ensure that agricultural produce reach the tables of Filipino families.
This strategy includes training personnel for good agricultural practices, food safety as well as the introduction of modern technologies to farmers and fishermen to boost their production.
The government is also forging bilateral agreements with other countries so that the country’s agricultural produce could easily be marketed abroad, the President said.
“Tuloy-tuloy na ang pagsasaayos ng ating foreign trade policies at ang pagpapatupad ng mga hakbang upang masigurong ang mga produktong iniluluwas natin ay kaya ring mamayagpag sa pandaigdigang merkado. Paigtingin din po natin ang pagmamatyag laban sa mga pangunahing sakit na sumasalanta sa mga pananim at mga alagang hayop,” he said.
To mitigate the effects of climate change in the agriculture sector, the President said, the government started buffer stocking of quality seeds that farmers can use. Government experts are also continuously doing research on climate resilient seeds and rainwater harvesting. At the same time, the government is spearheading organic farming and balanced fertilization, he added.
“Naglalagay po tayo ng matibay na pundasyon upang lalo pang lumago ang sektor ng agrikultura. Simple lang po ang ating batayang prinsipyo: kung may gawin kang mabuti, tiyak na mabuti rin ang balik sa iyo; kung gumising ka ng madaling-araw upang pumalaot, uuwi ka sa isang hapag na sagana ang nakahain; kung magbanat ka ng buto at kumayod-kalabaw buong araw, titiyakin ng gobyerno na may sapat kang suporta upang makaangat ka sa buhay,” he said.
Like farmers planting seeds for a bountiful harvest, the President said his administration has initiated reforms to get rid of corruption in the government so the country can move faster towards national progress.
The President led Tuesday the awarding of 22 outstanding farmers, fishermen and farmer/fisherfolk organizations who made significant contributions to nation building and development. (PCOO)
