President Aquino back from UK, US trips with
$2.5-billion investment pledges
President Benigno S. Aquino III announced on
Sunday that he had secured $2.5-billion worth of investment pledges from
businessmen he had met during his weeklong trip to the United Kingdom and the
United States last week.
The President made the announcement upon
arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City Sunday
morning.
He said half of the total investment pledges
came from Rolls-Royce, Asea Gaz Asia Ltd and commodities trading giant
Glencore, owner of the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation
(PASAR), all of which are based in the UK.
Glencore plans to expand its smelting capacity
by investing $600 million; Gaz Asia will work with Aboitiz Equity and invest
$150-million to develop plants that will convert organic waste materials into
liquid bio methane; and Rolls- Royce has signed a P280-million service contract
with Cebu Pacific for the purchase and service of new airplane engines.
The other half of the investment pledges will
come from US-based businesses namely: GN Power Limited, which plans to put up
two 300-megawatt coal plants in Bataan worth $1-billion; Underwriters
Laboratories Inc. which will invest in a global technology research center in
Manila; and the Citigroup and USAid which have proposed a mobile financial
inclusion program that will bring the benefits of mobile banking to the rural
areas.
“Sa kabuoan po, ang halaga ng kalakal na papasok
mula sa mga kumpanyang nakapulong natin, sa Britanya at sa Amerika: Hindi
bababa sa dalawa't kalahating bilyong dolyar, o humigit-kumulang 100 billion
pesos,” the President said.
He added that aside strengthening Philippine
economy by providing jobs and livelihood, these investments further strengthen
the ties and relations the Philippines has with UK and US.
“Trabaho po ang katumbas ng mga numerong ito;
trabahong magdadala ng pagkain sa mesa ng Pilipino. At kasabay po ng magandang
balitang ekonomiko, nagbunga rin ng mas malalim pang pakikipagkaibigan ang
ating pagbiyahe sa UK at sa Estados Unidos,” the President said. (rck)
Government reforms impresses UK, US officials,
President Aquino says
President Benigno S. Aquino III’s advocacy to
rid the government of corruption, corrupt practices and corrupt officials and
employees by implementing reforms in line with his “daan na tuwid” presidential
campaign promise has impressed officials of the United Kingdom and the United
States.
In a statement read upon arriving at the Ninoy
Aquino International Airport in Pasay City on Sunday, the President said UK
Prime Minister David Cameron, the Duke of York Prince Andrew and even US
President Barack Obama all expressed approval at how the Philippines has
improved under his administration.
“Sa Britanya, nakapulong po namin ang kanilang
Punong Ministro na si David Cameron, at si Prince Andrew. Si Prince Andrew po
ay may tungkuling i-promote ang mga negosyong Britanya. Nakikita po nila ang
mabuting pinatutunguhan ng tuwid na daan, at ang mga pagkakataong ekonomikong
nabubuksan dahil sa pag-angat ng atin pong bansa,” the President said.
He pointed out that the UK had also praised the
Philippines for its steps to advance the peace talks and for posting a record
growth rate beyond anyone’s expectations.
“Si Pangulong Obama mismo ang nagdiin ng
kahalagahan ng Pilipinas bilang kabalikat; magkatuwang ang ating interes na
panatilihin ang malaya at mapayapang paglalayag sa West Philippine Sea,” the
President said.
The President said both countries have pledged
to further support the Philippines as it continues to march towards unshackling
the bounds of corruption.
“Pinuri po nila tayo sa ating pagtahak sa tuwid
na daan, at inulit ang pangakong tumulong upang lalong mapabilis ang pag-abot
sa ating mga adhikain,” the President said. (rck)
President Aquino generally satisfied with the
outcome of UK-US visits
LOS ANGELES, California: President Benigno S.
Aquino III said he was ‘generally satisfied’ with the outcome of his six-day
official working visits to the United Kingdom and United States of America that
he cannot wait to bring home all the good news to Manila in time for the
celebration of the national Independence Day on June 12.
A sense of fulfillment could be traced on
President Aquino as he gamely answered questions from the members of the
Philippine media delegation who sought for details on the various meetings he
had attended back in Washington, D.C.
“We had a lot of talks on the movers and shakers
especially in the business community… We are talking of very, very senior guys
from some of the most established firms even in the financial sector who are
gung ho about the country,” the President said.
President Aquino, however, politely declined to
disclose the total number of investment pledges he managed to secure from his
UK and US visits, saying that he would rather reveal this information once he
gets home as part of his arrival statement.
He only went as far as describing the figure
“substantial” with the possibility of even having it increased.
The President had at least two official business
meetings in Washington, D.C. including discussions with power generation firms
GN Power, Sithe Global, and Denham Capital last Thursday about their plans to
expand operations in the country.
Presidential Communications Development and
Strategic Planning Secretary Ramon Carandang in an earlier interview said GN
Power is going to put up two 300-megawatt coal plants in Bataan using coal
combustion technology.
These two plants are estimated to cost about a
billion US dollars and are expected to be operational by about 2015. Philippine
Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia, Jr. earlier stated that this will be
beneficial to the country especially since the demand for power continues to
grow.
President Aquino also met with executives from
Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Inc. an independent product safety
certification organization established in the US since 1894 and he said he’s
“excited” about its coming to the Philippines.
Carandang said the President is “very keen” on
this type of knowledge-based investment because it may provide some kind of
knowledge transfer to local workers.
President Aquino on Friday also received
officials from Citigroup and USAid last Friday to present their mobile
financial inclusion proposal. They are encouraging the use of mobile banking in
rural areas that do not have access either to the internet or have a limited
number of internet users. (hdc)
Aquino thanks Filipino community in Los Angeles,
California
LOS ANGELES, California: Wild cheers and
applause from excited Pinoys greeted a tired but happy President Benigno S.
Aquino III as he wrapped up his three-day official working visit in the United
States with a Filipino community gathering event here.
President Aquino took advantage of the
opportunity to personally thank Filipinos who flocked to the Hilton Hotel for
their unremitting trust and support for his administration. “Hindi po bumibitiw
ang inyong lingkod sa ating ipinangako, babaguhin natin ang Pilipinas,” he told
them in his speech.
The President delightfully relayed to them some
of the positive developments that are happening in the country including the
6.4 percent growth in our economy during the first quarter of the year and the
consistent performance of the Philippine stock market breaching record-high
numbers.
Besides these, the President also mentioned
about the 13.6 percent increase in our foreign direct investments as well as
the seven positive rating actions received by the country from different credit
rating agencies.
These economic improvements help the government
support its development plans for the country including the NLEX-SLEX connector
road project, additional classrooms for public schoolchildren, and housing
units for police and the military among others.
The President also cited the country’s stable
progress in achieving its target of being rice self-sufficient toward its
potential to become a net exporter by next year. He also noted about the
increase in the number of beneficiaries for the conditional cash transfer
program.
President Aquino proudly stated that all these
are being accomplished by the administration without imposing new taxes but by
relying only on the proper collection of revenues and by strictly following his
5R policy: right project, right quality, right people, right cost, and right on
time
“Hindi po magic ang ginawa natin para makamtan
ang mga tagumpay na ito. Malinis, tapat, at mapamaraang pamamahala lang ang
ginawa natin. Kitang-kita naman po ang mabuting bunga ng diskarteng matuwid,”
he said.
President Aquino, moreover, kept Filipinos in
America abreast of the recently concluded impeachment trial on former Chief
Justice Renato Corona which is considered as the most significant achievement
of the government so far in terms of improving the country’s justice system.
“Bakit po tayo naninindigan sa laban na ito?
Dahil kailangan natin ng pagbabago. Dahil kailangan nating patunayan na umiiral
ang justice at tapos na ang panahon ng just-tiis sa atin pong lipunan,” he
said.
“Pagbabago po ang aking ipinangako. Pagbabago
ang tinatamasa natin ngayon. Pagbabago ang gusto kong ipamana sa papalit sa
akin sa pwesto at sa susunod na salinhlahi ng Pilipino. Pagbabagong pwede mong
ipagmalaki sa buong mundo saang lupalop ka man…” he added.
President Aquino, moreover, assured the Filipino
community that he will waste no time in returning the favor for all the
sacrifices they have made while working overseas.
“Hindi po tayo habambuhay na nasa pwesto—mahirap
po talaga itong buhay na ‘to. Pero sa ating panunungkulan, wala akong
sasayanging oras upang suklian ang inyong sipag at sakripisyo at paglingkuran
ang mas nakakaraming Pilipino. Napipinto na po nating marating ang isang
Pilipinas na malinis sa katiwalian, isang Pilipinas na malaya sa kahirapan,
isang Pilipinas na mararating ang kanyang pinaka-potensyal dahil ibinibigay ang
lahat ng pagkakataon sa lahat ng ating mga kababayan,” the President concluded.
(hdc)
Jessica Sanchez and Apl.de.Ap courtesy calls
LOS ANGELES, California: Two of today’s most
popular celebrities with Filipino roots in America paid a courtesy call to
President Benigno S. Aquino III last night prior to his departure for Manila
following a successful three-day official working visit here.
President Aquino met with Black Eyed Peas member
Allan Pineda a.k.a. Apl de Ap and American Idol season 11 runner-up Jessica
Sanchez at the Hilton Hotel to personally congratulate them in their respective
thriving music careers.
Pineda, who was born in Angeles City, Pampanga,
has been actively doing charity work in the Philippines through his own Apl.de.Ap
foundation’s ‘We Can Be Anything’ education advocacy campaign in partnership
with the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation.
His group Black Eyed Peas has been awarded six
Grammys—considered as the highest and the most prestigious award-giving body in
American music—with an estimated of 60 million records sold worldwide.
Sanchez, on the other hand, was born and raised
in Chula Vista, California to a Filipino mother from Samal, Bataan who married
a Mexican-American serving the US Navy. She became a household name after
making history as the first Asian and Latina to ever reach the American Idol
finals.
In a previous interview, President Aquino shared
his hope that Sanchez would bag the American Idol title given her exceptional
talent. Other Malacañang officials also rallied behind her and urged Filipinos
in America and around the world to keep actively supporting her.
Sanchez’s runner-up finish in the popular
singing competition left her doors of opportunities toward a promising career
in music as producers are reportedly lining up already for a chance to work on
her official debut album.
She has since kept a busy schedule after her
Idol stint, gracing media interviews left and right and singing at various
events including the recently concluded National Memorial Day Concert held at
the US Capitol in Washington, D.C.
In her official Twitter account and Facebook
page, Sanchez said she was honored to have met the President of the
Philippines.
Sanchez will be performing the American national
anthem during the boxing match of another Pinoy pride, Congressman Manny
Pacquiao, opposite Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas on June 9 (Las Vegas time).
(hdc)
