Aquino declares April 2 as special non-working day in Bulacan in commemoration of 224th birth anniversary of Francisco 'Balagtas' Baltazar
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared April 2, 2012 which falls on a Monday as a special non-working day in the province of Bulacan in commemoration of the 224th birth anniversary of prominent poet and orator Francisco "Balagtas" Baltazar.
In Proclamation No. 355 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on March 27, the Chief Executive issued the declaration to give the people of Bulacan the full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occassion with appropriate ceremonies.
Known by his pen name Balagtas, Baltazar has been described as the “Prince of Tagalog Poets."
Baltazar was born in Panginay, Bigaa (now Balagtas), Bulacan on April 2, 1788. He was the youngest of the four children of Juan Baltazar, a blacksmith, and Juana de la Cruz.
He worked as a helper in Tondo to support his studies where he met Jose de la Cruz, a prominent poet whose penchant for fighting cocks as payment for his literary works earned him the sobriquet “Huseng Sisiw.”
The popular Filipino debate form Balagtasan was named after Balagtas. He was recognized by the Pahayagang Kastilyano (Spanish publication) and became the front cover for two weeks.
Baltazar is widely considered as the Tagalog equivalent of William Shakespeare for his impact on Filipino literature. The famous epic, Florante at Laura, is regarded as his defining work. He died on February 20, 1862. (PCOO)
.
Aquino leaves decision to annul ARMM voter registration list or not to COMELEC
President Benigno S. Aquino III is leaving the decision whether or not to annul the voter’s registration list of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to the Commission on Elections en banc.
In an interview during a lull in a meeting he presided over to discuss and get updates on said list, the President said the COMELEC en banc would know “how to exactly proceed” in addressing the issue.
According to Carmelita Ericta, Administrator of the National Statistics Office who was present in the meeting, a “sharp” increase in the population of the ARMM was noted during the census years of 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2007.
She said that there was a recorded 1.6-million, 2.1-million and 2.8-million people in ARMM in the years 1980, 1990 and 2000; respectively, which then rose to 4.1-million in 2007.
COMELEC chair Sixto Brillantes, who was also present during the meeting, told the President that the election body was “seriously considering annulling” the voter’s registration list of ARMM, a move the President has left to the COMELEC.
“The purpose of this meeting is to share the latest data with regards to the population of the ARMM,” the President said.
“And then the next step is, we are informed, that the COMELEC will meet en banc and decide how exactly to proceed: whether the annulment of the entire registration for the five provinces (of ARMM) should be done or can be done -- they will decide,” he added.
The ARMM is composed of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. (PCOO)
Aquino orders PNP to end proliferation of private armies
In order to ensure the peaceful and safe conduct of elections next year, President Benigno S. Aquino III has ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to step up its efforts at finally eradicating the proliferation of private armed groups.
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared April 2, 2012 which falls on a Monday as a special non-working day in the province of Bulacan in commemoration of the 224th birth anniversary of prominent poet and orator Francisco "Balagtas" Baltazar.
In Proclamation No. 355 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on March 27, the Chief Executive issued the declaration to give the people of Bulacan the full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occassion with appropriate ceremonies.
Known by his pen name Balagtas, Baltazar has been described as the “Prince of Tagalog Poets."
Baltazar was born in Panginay, Bigaa (now Balagtas), Bulacan on April 2, 1788. He was the youngest of the four children of Juan Baltazar, a blacksmith, and Juana de la Cruz.
He worked as a helper in Tondo to support his studies where he met Jose de la Cruz, a prominent poet whose penchant for fighting cocks as payment for his literary works earned him the sobriquet “Huseng Sisiw.”
The popular Filipino debate form Balagtasan was named after Balagtas. He was recognized by the Pahayagang Kastilyano (Spanish publication) and became the front cover for two weeks.
Baltazar is widely considered as the Tagalog equivalent of William Shakespeare for his impact on Filipino literature. The famous epic, Florante at Laura, is regarded as his defining work. He died on February 20, 1862. (PCOO)
.
Aquino leaves decision to annul ARMM voter registration list or not to COMELEC
President Benigno S. Aquino III is leaving the decision whether or not to annul the voter’s registration list of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to the Commission on Elections en banc.
In an interview during a lull in a meeting he presided over to discuss and get updates on said list, the President said the COMELEC en banc would know “how to exactly proceed” in addressing the issue.
According to Carmelita Ericta, Administrator of the National Statistics Office who was present in the meeting, a “sharp” increase in the population of the ARMM was noted during the census years of 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2007.
She said that there was a recorded 1.6-million, 2.1-million and 2.8-million people in ARMM in the years 1980, 1990 and 2000; respectively, which then rose to 4.1-million in 2007.
COMELEC chair Sixto Brillantes, who was also present during the meeting, told the President that the election body was “seriously considering annulling” the voter’s registration list of ARMM, a move the President has left to the COMELEC.
“The purpose of this meeting is to share the latest data with regards to the population of the ARMM,” the President said.
“And then the next step is, we are informed, that the COMELEC will meet en banc and decide how exactly to proceed: whether the annulment of the entire registration for the five provinces (of ARMM) should be done or can be done -- they will decide,” he added.
The ARMM is composed of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. (PCOO)
Aquino orders PNP to end proliferation of private armies
In order to ensure the peaceful and safe conduct of elections next year, President Benigno S. Aquino III has ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to step up its efforts at finally eradicating the proliferation of private armed groups.
In an interview, President Aquino said his order not only covers known lairs of private armies in certain provinces but the entire Philippines as a whole.
“I have tasked the PNP, specifically, for the continuing efforts to remove all of these private armies wherever they exist,” the President said.
“Not only ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao). We’re going around the entire country,” he added.
The President said he had a meeting with his Cabinet and law enforcement agencies to assess and revalidate their information on private armed groups and how to address their existence. (PCOO)
.
Coloma receives Quadricentennial Service Award from University of Santo Tomas
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio “Sonny” B. Coloma Jr. was awarded the Quadricentennial Service Award for his important role in the 400th founding anniversary celebration of the University of Santo Tomas (UST), the oldest existing university in Asia and the largest Catholic university in the world in a single campus in terms of student population.
During an appreciation luncheon on Wednesday (March 28) at the UST Main Building Lobby, Espana, Manila, UST Rector Rev. Fr. Rolando V. dela Rosa, O.P. awarded the Quadricentennial Service Award to Secretary Coloma for his magnanimous support the university’s 400th year celebration, rekindling the Thomasian spirit and generating a deeper appreciation of its mission and vision.
The award also recognizes Coloma’s participation as the university’s partner in reaching out and communicating with UST’s various stakeholders about the milestone celebration of its 400th founding anniversary and his reliable collaboration in the final phase of the planning and execution of UST’s Exhibition and Concert at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France aimed at reaffirming the university’s role in building the Church, the nation and the family through the centuries.
Also present during the event were Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim and the recognized alumni of the university who were successful in their respective fields of profession.
The same award was given to the government television network Peoples’ Televison (PTV) 4.
The university was established through the initiative of Bishop Miguel de Benavides, O.P., the third Archbishop of Manila. On July 24, 1605, he bequeathed the amount of P1,500 and his personal library for the establishment of a “seminary-college” to prepare young men for the priesthood. Those funds, and his personal library, became the nucleus for the start of UST and its library.
The founding of the University of Santo Tomas followed on April 28, 1611. The original campus was located in Intramuros, the Walled City of Manila. UST was first called Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario, and later renamed Colegio de Santo Tomas, in memory of the foremost Dominican Theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas. (PCOO)
.
President Aquino to lead inauguration of Korean War memorial
President Benigno S. Aquino III will lead the inauguration of a memorial honoring the 7.420 valiant Filipino men and women who fought during the Korean War as part of the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK), in ceremonies to be held at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City on Thursday, March 29.
Joining the President for the inauguration of the PEFTOK Korean War Memorial Hall (PKWMH) will be Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin, Ambassador of Korea to the Philippines Hye Min Lee, Korean Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Sung Choon, and Philippine Veterans Affairs Administrator Lt. Gen. Ernesto G. Carolina (Ret).
Funded by the Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs through the Embassy of Korea in the Philippines, the war memorial hall is a two-storey structure that houses a library, an auditorium and a museum depicting vignettes of information on the Philippine contingent during the Korean War.
It houses the PEFTOK Veterans Association office that will cater to the needs of the Filipino Korean War veterans as well as a spacious roof deck that can be utilized for various functions.
The PKWMH was built as an enduring symbol of the Great and Extraordinary Friendship between the Philippines and Korea that grows stronger with the passing of time. (PCOO)
