Aquino declares March 7 special non-working day in Basilan in celebration of 38th Foundation Day
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared March 7, which fall on a Wednesday as a special non-working day in Basilan in celebration of the 38th Foundation Day of the province.
In Proclamation No. 335 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on February 13, President Aquino issued the declaration to give the people of Basilan the opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
When the town of Zamboanga became a chartered city in 1936, it included Basilan.
On July 1, 1948, Basilan itself became a separate city through Republic Act. No. 288.
The city was converted into a province on December 27, 1973 after incessant fighting prompted former President Ferdinand E. Marcos to issue the Presidential Decree No.356.
The province commemorates the anniversary of the Province of Basilan on the 7th of March every year. (PCOO)
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Aquino leads Ceremonial Switch-On of Hydro Power Plant under the Sitio Electrification Program
CALAPAN CITY, Mindoro Oriental: President Benigno S. Aquino III acknowledged the gargantuan task of the government to provide electricity to thousands of sitios in every barangay in the country but he stressed that such a challenge can be easily met through the cooperation and concerted efforts of the public and private sectors as he vowed to realize the goal before the end of his term in 2016.
In his speech before the recipients and fellow government officials during the “Ceremonial Switch-On of the 2.1 Megawatt Linao Cawayan Mini-Hydro Power Plant (LCMHPP)-Lower Cascade Facility and 45 Sitios under the Sitio Electrification Program,” here, Friday morning, President Aquino encouraged the people to support the government for the immediate realization of its pro-people projects.
“Hindi ho biro… 36 thousand na sitio pakukuryentehan natin, kakayanin po natin yun kung kakayanin… pero pag nagtutulungan po tayo bakit hindi natin maaabot ng mas mabilis yan, may kakayahan po kayo,” the President said.
The President said time may come that electricity sourced out from diesel could be a secondary supply of electricity considering the propagation of using natural sources.
“Baka po dumating ang panahon yung galing sa bunker oil, yung sa diesel ay maging taga-dagdag na lang imbes na pangunahing pinagmumulan ng inyong kuryente,” President Aquino said.
The Chief Excutive lauded the locals and the concerned government agencies for the said noble initiative.
“Ang importante po dito hindi yung dami ng kuryente, ang importante po dito kauna-unahan po ang inyong cooperative na nagtayo ng sariling hydro plant o run-off the river plant,” the President said.
He reassured the government’s commitment to provide all the basic necessities of the people and the opportunities that would uplift the standards of their living.
“Gobyerno po ninyong itinatag, iisa ang layunin… bigyan kayo ng lahat at isagad ang lahat ng oportunidad para po umasenso kayong lahat,” the President noted.
During the event, President Aquino led the ceremonial switch-on of the 2.1 MW LCMHPP and the electrification of the 45 Sitios, here witnessed by Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali Jr., District 1 Representative Rodolfo Valencia, District 2 Representative Reynaldo V. Umali, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chair and CEO Zenaida G. Cruz-Ducut, National Power Corporation (NPC) president Froilan A. Tampinco and Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (ORMECO) General Manager Romeo Cuasay.
Following the switch-on ceremony, the Chief Executive was given an overview of the electrification program for the province.
ORMECO first president Zosimo Mendoza and GM Cuasay also presented to President Aquino a copy of the book “The ORMECO Odyssey”, which describes the journey of the electric cooperative from its organization 39 years ago. It also shows the efforts to tap renewable energy to meet the growing demand of electric power.
The ORMECO-owned 2.1 MW Linao Cawayan Mini-Hydro Power Plant – Lower Cascade Facility is located at Sitio Ariguy, Barangay Calangatan, Municipality of San Teodoro, here.
The event signifies the commencement to full operation of the power plant facility with Energy Regulatory Commission Chair and CEO Zenaida G. Cruz-Ducut awarding the certificate of Compliance and Authority to Operate.
The said mini-hydro power plant facility is the first renewable energy project in the Philippines being constructed by an electric cooperative after the passage of Republic Act No. 9513, otherwise known as the Renewable Energy Act of 2008.
The electrification program initially benefits some 978 families in the area. (PCOO)
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared March 7, which fall on a Wednesday as a special non-working day in Basilan in celebration of the 38th Foundation Day of the province.
In Proclamation No. 335 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on February 13, President Aquino issued the declaration to give the people of Basilan the opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
When the town of Zamboanga became a chartered city in 1936, it included Basilan.
On July 1, 1948, Basilan itself became a separate city through Republic Act. No. 288.
The city was converted into a province on December 27, 1973 after incessant fighting prompted former President Ferdinand E. Marcos to issue the Presidential Decree No.356.
The province commemorates the anniversary of the Province of Basilan on the 7th of March every year. (PCOO)
.
Aquino leads Ceremonial Switch-On of Hydro Power Plant under the Sitio Electrification Program
CALAPAN CITY, Mindoro Oriental: President Benigno S. Aquino III acknowledged the gargantuan task of the government to provide electricity to thousands of sitios in every barangay in the country but he stressed that such a challenge can be easily met through the cooperation and concerted efforts of the public and private sectors as he vowed to realize the goal before the end of his term in 2016.
In his speech before the recipients and fellow government officials during the “Ceremonial Switch-On of the 2.1 Megawatt Linao Cawayan Mini-Hydro Power Plant (LCMHPP)-Lower Cascade Facility and 45 Sitios under the Sitio Electrification Program,” here, Friday morning, President Aquino encouraged the people to support the government for the immediate realization of its pro-people projects.
“Hindi ho biro… 36 thousand na sitio pakukuryentehan natin, kakayanin po natin yun kung kakayanin… pero pag nagtutulungan po tayo bakit hindi natin maaabot ng mas mabilis yan, may kakayahan po kayo,” the President said.
The President said time may come that electricity sourced out from diesel could be a secondary supply of electricity considering the propagation of using natural sources.
“Baka po dumating ang panahon yung galing sa bunker oil, yung sa diesel ay maging taga-dagdag na lang imbes na pangunahing pinagmumulan ng inyong kuryente,” President Aquino said.
The Chief Excutive lauded the locals and the concerned government agencies for the said noble initiative.
“Ang importante po dito hindi yung dami ng kuryente, ang importante po dito kauna-unahan po ang inyong cooperative na nagtayo ng sariling hydro plant o run-off the river plant,” the President said.
He reassured the government’s commitment to provide all the basic necessities of the people and the opportunities that would uplift the standards of their living.
“Gobyerno po ninyong itinatag, iisa ang layunin… bigyan kayo ng lahat at isagad ang lahat ng oportunidad para po umasenso kayong lahat,” the President noted.
During the event, President Aquino led the ceremonial switch-on of the 2.1 MW LCMHPP and the electrification of the 45 Sitios, here witnessed by Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, Oriental Mindoro Governor Alfonso Umali Jr., District 1 Representative Rodolfo Valencia, District 2 Representative Reynaldo V. Umali, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chair and CEO Zenaida G. Cruz-Ducut, National Power Corporation (NPC) president Froilan A. Tampinco and Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (ORMECO) General Manager Romeo Cuasay.
Following the switch-on ceremony, the Chief Executive was given an overview of the electrification program for the province.
ORMECO first president Zosimo Mendoza and GM Cuasay also presented to President Aquino a copy of the book “The ORMECO Odyssey”, which describes the journey of the electric cooperative from its organization 39 years ago. It also shows the efforts to tap renewable energy to meet the growing demand of electric power.
The ORMECO-owned 2.1 MW Linao Cawayan Mini-Hydro Power Plant – Lower Cascade Facility is located at Sitio Ariguy, Barangay Calangatan, Municipality of San Teodoro, here.
The event signifies the commencement to full operation of the power plant facility with Energy Regulatory Commission Chair and CEO Zenaida G. Cruz-Ducut awarding the certificate of Compliance and Authority to Operate.
The said mini-hydro power plant facility is the first renewable energy project in the Philippines being constructed by an electric cooperative after the passage of Republic Act No. 9513, otherwise known as the Renewable Energy Act of 2008.
The electrification program initially benefits some 978 families in the area. (PCOO)
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Aquino urges leftist groups to lay down their arms, let peace talks proceed to end armed struggle
CALAPAN CITY, Mindoro Oriental: President Benigno S. Aquino III expressed stern commitment to end the armed conflict involving the government and various leftist groups as he noted the Aquino administration’s efforts to attain the peace through talks and political processes.
In keynoting the “Ceremonial Switch-On of the 2.1 Megawatt Linao Cawayan Mini-Hydro Power Plant (LCMHPP)-Lower Cascade Facility and 45 Sitios Under the Sitio Electrification Program,” here, Friday morning, President Aquino urged the left-leaning groups to lay down their arms and proceed to the negotiating table to discuss with the government the solutions that will end their long-standing armed struggle.
“Babalik si Joma Sison kung meron nang maliwanag na usapan… at yung dulo po niyan siyempre and ambisyon natin diyan, huwag na tayong magbakbakan na barilan, magtalakayan tayo sa debate, tapos may eleksyon tayo, kung sino ang mangibabaw sa eleksyon ay iyon ang kumakatawan sa mga nakararaming nagdedesisyon para sa lahat,” the President said.
The Chief Executive also belied recent reports that the government is presently negotiating with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) for the return of its founder Jose Maria Sison in the country.
He said that in the event of Sison’s return, it will pave the way towards the signing of a peace agreement between the government and Sison’s group.
Recent reports claimed that the exiled Communist leader returned to the country under the name “Renato Malaya” on Jan. 20 on board an airplane that landed at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Pampanga,
The military dismissed the report saying the “disinformation” was based only on circulating text messages. (PCOO)
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Filipinos beginning to reap fruits of reforms in government, says Aquino
While there are groups not supportive of the government’s reform agenda, President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Friday that Filipinos have started to reap the fruits of the “righteous path” that his administration champions.
In an interview in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, during the launch of an energy project there, the President told reporters that he received information about the declining number of groups opposing his administration especially those holding mass actions.
“Sa paniwala naman po namin, talaga namang may gestation — sa ekonomiya, inaasahan natin na mga two years bago may mangyaring diperensya. Kapag tiningnan mo nga yung stock market index, yung kumpiyansa sa atin, ganun kalaki na ho kaagad ang diperensya,” the President said referring to economic developments in the country.
He said they didn’t expect that the 22 percent of Philippine Economic Zone Authority’s (PEZA) total output would come within 18 months of the present administration.
The President also mentioned the government’s thrust on housing, particularly for the informal sector. He said that in past no administration gave thorough attention in fixing the problems in the housing sector.
“Ngayon may P10 billion tayong nakalaan para sa kanila. Meron tayong… in about 15 month’s time, a total of over 50,000 houses for those in the uniformed services, in addition to those for the informal settler sector,” he said.
For the agriculture sector, the President said that Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala has assured him that attaining rice self-sufficiency next year remains an achievable target for the government.
The chief executive also said that he was informed by the officials from the health care sector that the universal healthcare program of the government remains doable.
“Sa ang akin pong pananaw, habang tinatamasa yung benepisyo ng isang demokrasyang talagang naglilingkod sa taumbayan, lalo pong titibay ang suporta natin tungo sa tuwid na landas,” the President said. (PCOO)
