RP re-elected to UN information body
The Philippines has been re-elected to another two-year term in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) -- an agency that works to ensure that marginalized people worldwide have access to communications technology which they can use to improve their plight.
Manila will be represented by Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office and will serve a two-year term commencing from 2012 to 2013 as Vice- President of the UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP) Council along with Austria and Grenada representatives.
IFAP member-states include Austria, Belgium, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Grenada, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Niger, Oman, Peru, Russian Federation, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania and Uruguay.
Also elected to the IFAP Bureau are the Russian Federation as President, Latvia, Oman and Tanzania as members and Colombia as rapporteur. (PCOO)
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Malacanang says Aquino government is sincere in addressing power problem in Mindanao
Malacanang stressed the sincerity of the Aquino government to formulate solutions to the power situation in Mindanao through the holding of an Energy Summit on Friday in Davao City where President Benigno S. Aquino III will conduct a dialogue with key officials and power industry stakeholders in the country’s southern island.
In a regular media briefing in Malacanang Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda belied reports that the summit is just a moro-moro where the agreements to be passed were pre-arranged prior to the event.
He also said that the meeting with the energy stakeholders was organized by the Mindanao Development Authority (MINDA) headed by Secretary Luwalhati Antonino.
“This energy summit is not organized by the Department of Energy as earlier reported. The Mindanao Development Authority is lead government agency with Secretary Antonino,” Lacierda said.
“Hindi po totoo na moro-moro lang iyan dahil nagkaron po ng isang pre-energy summit last week … the people of MINDA have been preparing for this summit. There are several stakeholders in Mindanao… the generators, the transmission distributors, the electric cooperatives, the consumers, the local government, so we need to come up with a consensus on how to address the energy situation in Mindanao,” he added.
Lacierda also said that during the summit, the people of Mindanao will be deciding on what to implement to address the power situation in the area.
“There are proposed solutions but it is something that they would have to decide… as the President has always stated everybody should be on the same page when it comes to addressing the energy concerns in Mindanao,” Lacierda said. (PCOO)
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Palace welcomes Grant Thornton’s recent Philippine ranking
Malacanang welcomed the Grant Thornton International Business Report in the first quarter of the year that found the Philippines as a country having the fourth biggest community of optimistic business leaders in the world.
“I think the business leaders and the business community get it—what the Philippine government is doing; what we have committed to do.
We are going to level the playing field. We are going to also enhance the facilitation of registration that means cutting the bureaucratic red tape and we have done so and we will continue to improve our services,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday.
“It’s something that we intend to achieve to make sure that there is clearly a level playing field for the business community.”
Grant Thornton, one of the world's leading accounting and consulting firms, said the Philippines has the fourth “most optimistic” community of business leaders in the world as the government carried out measures that ease the cost of doing business in the country.
The Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) for the first quarter of 2012 ranked the Philippines high in its optimism league table, behind Peru, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.
Lacierda said it’s a good thing that the report indicated that what’s happening between the executive and the judiciary has no impact on the business community.
“That’s good because the initial concern of the political commentators was that it’s going to affect the business climate—far from being affected by the impeachment. The business community has seen what the Philippine government is doing especially the economic cluster on the investments that are open for businesses that are open for investments,” he said.
“The President maintained and has always said that the Philippines is open for business and we are committed to do so. So it’s a good sign, at least the business community is not affected. Many countries and many business people from within and without have expressed interest in investing in the country and that’s a good sign.”
Local audit, tax and advisory experts said the Philippines has done a good job of staying resilient despite the global economic volatility.
They said global mood has also started to pick up, particularly among bigger economies, and that the Philippines is on track to maintaining this upbeat outlook in the future. (PCOO)
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President Aquino to receive Doctor of Laws degree from Centro Escolar University
President Benigno S. Aquino III will be conferred a Doctor of Laws degree, Honoris Causa by the Centro Escolar University (CEU) in ceremonies to be held at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel on Wednesday.
The CEU cited the President’s enlightened and inspiring leadership, exemplary government service and steadfast advocacy for governance and transparency, as well as his unqualified commitment to fight graft and corruption.
Conferring the degree on the President on behalf of the university will be Dr. Ma. Cristina Padolina, president and Chief Academic Officer of CEU.
Padolina will be joined by CEU Board of Directors chairman Dr. Emilio Yap and Commission on Higher Education chairperson Patricia Licuanan. (PCOO)
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Aquino, Emir of Qatar witness signing of four agreements
President Benigno S. Aquino III and His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar witnessed the signing of four government-to-government agreements Tuesday in Malacanang.
The Emir of Qatar arrived in the country Tuesday afternoon for a two-day state visit.
The two countries sealed agreements on tourism, legal and justice, agriculture and fishery cooperation as well as investments. A private sector agreement on the establishment of joint business council between the Philippines and Qatar was also signed.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) on tourism cooperation is expected to create favorable conditions for long-term ties in tourism industry for the mutual benefit of the Philippines and Qatar.
On the legal front, the MOU on cooperation in the legal field will encourage sharing of experiences and best practices in the performance of the mandates of both countries in their respective ministries of justice.
An MOU on agricultural and fisheries cooperation, which will establish the general framework for cooperation in agriculture and fisheries of both countries, was also signed. The agreement is expected to foster sectoral development and enhance agri-related trade and investments between the two countries.
Among the areas included in this field are crops technology, vegetable and fruit preservation, biotechnology, post harvest technology, livestock and fisheries, coastal and deep-sea fishing management, irrigation, water resources and halal industry.
Both countries are also enhancing tie-ups on investment cooperation the signing of an MOU that involves the Department of Trade and Industry and the Qatar Holdings Limited Liability Corporation.
This MOU would explore the investment opportunities in the Philippines in various sectors including natural resources, commodities, energy, agriculture and infrastructure.
Aside from the government-to-government agreements, a private sector tie up on the establishment of a joint business council between the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Qatari Chamber of Commerce and Industry was also forged. (PCOO)
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Aquino confers Order of Lakandula on Emir of Qatar
President Benigno S. Aquino III conferred on His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, the Order of Lakandula with the Rank of Supremo (Grand Collar) in ceremonies held in Malacañang on Tuesday night.
The conferment, which capped the first of the Emir’s two-day State Visit to the Philippines prior to the State Dinner held in his honor last night, was held at the Rizal Hall of Malacañang Palace before an audience composed of the Emir’s official delegation, business and political leaders and members of the press.
In return, the Emir presented to the President the Necklace of Independence.
The Order of Lakandula is an Order of political and civic merit awarded in memory of Lakandula’s dedication to leadership, courage and resolve in the service of the people.
The Order of Lakandula is conferred upon a foreign citizen who demonstrated strong dedication for the welfare of society and whose life is worthy of emulation by the Filipino people.
The order is also being given to persons who devoted their lives for the peaceful resolution of conflict and to those who fostered mutual understanding, cultural exchange, justice and dignified relations among individuals.
The Order of Lakandula with the rank of Grand Collar (Supremo) is conferred upon individuals who dedicated their lives for the preservation and defense of the democracy of the country. It is also being conferred upon former or incumbent heads of state and of government.
The Necklace of Independence, on the other hand, is the highest decoration in the State of Qatar. It is worn by the Emir of the State and is awarded to present and former Kings and Heads of State.
After the conferment rites, the President, the Emir and the guests were served dinner. (PCOO)
The Philippines has been re-elected to another two-year term in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) -- an agency that works to ensure that marginalized people worldwide have access to communications technology which they can use to improve their plight.
Manila will be represented by Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office and will serve a two-year term commencing from 2012 to 2013 as Vice- President of the UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP) Council along with Austria and Grenada representatives.
IFAP member-states include Austria, Belgium, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Grenada, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Niger, Oman, Peru, Russian Federation, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania and Uruguay.
Also elected to the IFAP Bureau are the Russian Federation as President, Latvia, Oman and Tanzania as members and Colombia as rapporteur. (PCOO)
.
Malacanang says Aquino government is sincere in addressing power problem in Mindanao
Malacanang stressed the sincerity of the Aquino government to formulate solutions to the power situation in Mindanao through the holding of an Energy Summit on Friday in Davao City where President Benigno S. Aquino III will conduct a dialogue with key officials and power industry stakeholders in the country’s southern island.
In a regular media briefing in Malacanang Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda belied reports that the summit is just a moro-moro where the agreements to be passed were pre-arranged prior to the event.
He also said that the meeting with the energy stakeholders was organized by the Mindanao Development Authority (MINDA) headed by Secretary Luwalhati Antonino.
“This energy summit is not organized by the Department of Energy as earlier reported. The Mindanao Development Authority is lead government agency with Secretary Antonino,” Lacierda said.
“Hindi po totoo na moro-moro lang iyan dahil nagkaron po ng isang pre-energy summit last week … the people of MINDA have been preparing for this summit. There are several stakeholders in Mindanao… the generators, the transmission distributors, the electric cooperatives, the consumers, the local government, so we need to come up with a consensus on how to address the energy situation in Mindanao,” he added.
Lacierda also said that during the summit, the people of Mindanao will be deciding on what to implement to address the power situation in the area.
“There are proposed solutions but it is something that they would have to decide… as the President has always stated everybody should be on the same page when it comes to addressing the energy concerns in Mindanao,” Lacierda said. (PCOO)
.
Palace welcomes Grant Thornton’s recent Philippine ranking
Malacanang welcomed the Grant Thornton International Business Report in the first quarter of the year that found the Philippines as a country having the fourth biggest community of optimistic business leaders in the world.
“I think the business leaders and the business community get it—what the Philippine government is doing; what we have committed to do.
We are going to level the playing field. We are going to also enhance the facilitation of registration that means cutting the bureaucratic red tape and we have done so and we will continue to improve our services,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday.
“It’s something that we intend to achieve to make sure that there is clearly a level playing field for the business community.”
Grant Thornton, one of the world's leading accounting and consulting firms, said the Philippines has the fourth “most optimistic” community of business leaders in the world as the government carried out measures that ease the cost of doing business in the country.
The Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) for the first quarter of 2012 ranked the Philippines high in its optimism league table, behind Peru, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.
Lacierda said it’s a good thing that the report indicated that what’s happening between the executive and the judiciary has no impact on the business community.
“That’s good because the initial concern of the political commentators was that it’s going to affect the business climate—far from being affected by the impeachment. The business community has seen what the Philippine government is doing especially the economic cluster on the investments that are open for businesses that are open for investments,” he said.
“The President maintained and has always said that the Philippines is open for business and we are committed to do so. So it’s a good sign, at least the business community is not affected. Many countries and many business people from within and without have expressed interest in investing in the country and that’s a good sign.”
Local audit, tax and advisory experts said the Philippines has done a good job of staying resilient despite the global economic volatility.
They said global mood has also started to pick up, particularly among bigger economies, and that the Philippines is on track to maintaining this upbeat outlook in the future. (PCOO)
.
President Aquino to receive Doctor of Laws degree from Centro Escolar University
President Benigno S. Aquino III will be conferred a Doctor of Laws degree, Honoris Causa by the Centro Escolar University (CEU) in ceremonies to be held at the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel on Wednesday.
The CEU cited the President’s enlightened and inspiring leadership, exemplary government service and steadfast advocacy for governance and transparency, as well as his unqualified commitment to fight graft and corruption.
Conferring the degree on the President on behalf of the university will be Dr. Ma. Cristina Padolina, president and Chief Academic Officer of CEU.
Padolina will be joined by CEU Board of Directors chairman Dr. Emilio Yap and Commission on Higher Education chairperson Patricia Licuanan. (PCOO)
.
Aquino, Emir of Qatar witness signing of four agreements
President Benigno S. Aquino III and His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar witnessed the signing of four government-to-government agreements Tuesday in Malacanang.
The Emir of Qatar arrived in the country Tuesday afternoon for a two-day state visit.
The two countries sealed agreements on tourism, legal and justice, agriculture and fishery cooperation as well as investments. A private sector agreement on the establishment of joint business council between the Philippines and Qatar was also signed.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) on tourism cooperation is expected to create favorable conditions for long-term ties in tourism industry for the mutual benefit of the Philippines and Qatar.
On the legal front, the MOU on cooperation in the legal field will encourage sharing of experiences and best practices in the performance of the mandates of both countries in their respective ministries of justice.
An MOU on agricultural and fisheries cooperation, which will establish the general framework for cooperation in agriculture and fisheries of both countries, was also signed. The agreement is expected to foster sectoral development and enhance agri-related trade and investments between the two countries.
Among the areas included in this field are crops technology, vegetable and fruit preservation, biotechnology, post harvest technology, livestock and fisheries, coastal and deep-sea fishing management, irrigation, water resources and halal industry.
Both countries are also enhancing tie-ups on investment cooperation the signing of an MOU that involves the Department of Trade and Industry and the Qatar Holdings Limited Liability Corporation.
This MOU would explore the investment opportunities in the Philippines in various sectors including natural resources, commodities, energy, agriculture and infrastructure.
Aside from the government-to-government agreements, a private sector tie up on the establishment of a joint business council between the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Qatari Chamber of Commerce and Industry was also forged. (PCOO)
.
Aquino confers Order of Lakandula on Emir of Qatar
President Benigno S. Aquino III conferred on His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, the Order of Lakandula with the Rank of Supremo (Grand Collar) in ceremonies held in Malacañang on Tuesday night.
The conferment, which capped the first of the Emir’s two-day State Visit to the Philippines prior to the State Dinner held in his honor last night, was held at the Rizal Hall of Malacañang Palace before an audience composed of the Emir’s official delegation, business and political leaders and members of the press.
In return, the Emir presented to the President the Necklace of Independence.
The Order of Lakandula is an Order of political and civic merit awarded in memory of Lakandula’s dedication to leadership, courage and resolve in the service of the people.
The Order of Lakandula is conferred upon a foreign citizen who demonstrated strong dedication for the welfare of society and whose life is worthy of emulation by the Filipino people.
The order is also being given to persons who devoted their lives for the peaceful resolution of conflict and to those who fostered mutual understanding, cultural exchange, justice and dignified relations among individuals.
The Order of Lakandula with the rank of Grand Collar (Supremo) is conferred upon individuals who dedicated their lives for the preservation and defense of the democracy of the country. It is also being conferred upon former or incumbent heads of state and of government.
The Necklace of Independence, on the other hand, is the highest decoration in the State of Qatar. It is worn by the Emir of the State and is awarded to present and former Kings and Heads of State.
After the conferment rites, the President, the Emir and the guests were served dinner. (PCOO)
