Sunday 24 June 2012

PIA News Dispatch - Saturday, June 23, 2012


Aquino declares July 2 a special non-working day in Pasig City to mark its Founding Anniversary

President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared July 2 which falls on a Monday as a special (non-working) day in Pasig City in celebration of its 439th Founding Anniversary.

The Chief Executive issued the declaration through Proclamation No. 410 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on June 18 to give the people of Pasig City the full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasions with appropriate ceremonies

Known as one of the oldest towns in the Philippines, Pasig was created by the Augustinians 439 years ago.

Pasig was the former capital of the province of Rizal until 1975 when the Metro Manila Commission was created under Presidential Decree No. 824. By virtue of PD No. 824, Pasig is presently one of the city-municipalities of Metro Manila. (js)


Palace congratulates 'coach Spo' of Miami Heat

MalacaƱang extended its congratulations to the Filipino-American head coach of the Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra, for successfully steering his team through the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship after beating the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder in a decisive game five last Thursday (Friday morning in Manila).

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte conveyed the message over Radyo ng Bayan (DZRB) Saturday, saying that while the government doesn’t want to pick a side over the competing teams, they would like to give a congratulatory shoutout to the Fil-Am basketball coach.

“Congratulations to Coach Erik Spoelstra. We did not want to… As I mentioned earlier, we do not take sides but special mention and a very big congratulations to Coach Erik Spoelstra,” Valte said.

Valte also welcomed Spoelstra’s reported statement that he would bring the NBA trophy to the Philippines. “That would be good. Maraming fans si ‘Coach Spo’ dito sa Pilipinas that would like to also convey their congratulations and I’m sure a lot of fans will be excited,” she said.

With the Miami Heat’s recent victory, the 41-yearold Spoelstra becomes the first Asian-American head coach to have won an NBA championship. He is often regarded by fans as the “Heart of the Heat” and is well-respected among the team’s staff and players.

A proud Filipino, Spoelstra has been visiting the Philippines during NBA’s off-season to promote a healthy and active lifestyle among youths through basketball clinics via the NBA FIT program. He was welcomed by President Benigno S. Aquino III last year when he paid a courtesy call in MalacaƱang.

Spoelstra is the son of Elisa Celino, a Filipina from San Pablo, Laguna, and Jon Spoelstra—an American of Dutch and Irish descent—who was an NBA executive for the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Buffalo Braves and New Jersey Nets.


Financial Action Task Force upgrades Philippines

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) reported that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) responded positively to the initiatives of the Philippine government to enhance its transparency and accountability mechanisms in financial transactions, a Palace official said on Saturday.

In an interview aired over government-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte issued the statement following reports on the non-inclusion of the Philippines in the FATF’s black list of non-cooperative countries.

In his letter to President Benigno S. Aquino III, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr., in his capacity as Chairman of the AMLC, said that the FATF has recognized the reforms instituted by the Philippine government by upgrading the Philippines from the “dark grey list” to its “grey list.”

According to Governor Tetangco’s report, the FATF took notice of the passage of key legislative reforms certified as urgent by the President. In particular, the bills recently signed into law – “An Act To Further Strengthen The Anti-Money Laundering Law” and “The Terrorism Financing Prevention And Suppression Act of 2012” – strengthened the capability of government to identify and prevent financial transactions related to illegal activities and those that undermine global security.

"These reforms enabled the Philippines from being classified and downgraded to the “black list,” which would have resulted in stricter inspections of financial transactions in the country, delayed remittances, and higher transaction fees,” Valte said.

Valte reiterated that transparency and accountability are among the foremost guiding principles of the Aquino administration.

"And while we recognize that more needs to be done to strengthen our existing anti-money laundering and anti-financial terrorism measures, we take the satisfaction expressed by the FATF as affirmation of the institutional reforms that we have constantly advocated," she said.

The Financial Action Task Force was established by the G-7 Summit that was held in Paris in 1989 in response to mounting concerns over money laundering. This inter-governmental body sets the standards and promotes effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. (js)


Palace lauds conviction of Indonesian terrorist involved in Bali resort bombings in 2002

Reiterating its strong and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism, the Aquino administration lauded the conviction of Indonesian terrorist Umar Patek who helped in building explosives used in the deadly 2002 Bali nightclub attacks.

In an interview aired over government-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte issued the statement following reports that Patek was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an Indonesian court last Thursday.

Patek, 45, a leading member of the al-Qaida-linked network Jemaah Islamiyah, was found guilty of all charges by the West Jakarta District Court of violating the country’s anti-terror law for his role in the October 12, 2002 Bali resort island attacks that killed 202 people.

"That’s a welcome development— the conviction of Umar Patek. Anti-terrorism is a global effort. Kasama tayo doon sa mga bansang lumalaban sa terorismo," Valte said.

"Magandang balita po ito lalo na para doon sa mga pamilya ng mga naging biktima sa Bali bombing," she said.

Reports said the five-member judge panel concluded that Patek played an important role in building the explosives used in the Bali bombings. He was also sentenced for his involvement in a Jakarta church attack on Christmas Eve in 2000 that killed 19.

“The acts of the defendant have created many victims and caused deep suffering to the victims’ families,” the verdict said. (js)