Aquino's London visit brings in new investments
LONDON (via PLDT): President Benigno S. Aquino
III, who is London for an official visit, met with top European business groups
on Tuesday here. The separate meetings resulted into hundreds of millions of
new investments for the country.
Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining
Corporation, majority owned by commodities trading giant Glencore, has
committed to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the Philippines during
President Aquino's trip to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
here.
The President first met with top executives of
Pasar/Glencore on Tuesday morning at the Intercontinental London Parklane
Hotel, where he and the rest of the Philippine delegation are billeted for the
duration of the visit.
Secretary Ramon Carandang of the Presidential
Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office said Pasar/Glencore is
planning to invest 500 to 600 million dollars “to expand smelting capacity and
build a power plant to support its operations.”
Carandang, who was present during President
Aquino’s meeting with the British investors on Tuesday here, said that PASAR
investment would create up to 700 new jobs.
President Aquino also met with the officials of
Cebu Pacific Air Inc. and Rolls-Royce and was followed by another business
meeting with the executives of Asea Gaz Asia Ltd. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures
Gas at the same hotel.
The President witnessed the signing of a
memorandum of understanding between Rolls-Royce and Cebu Pacific which provides
for the US280-million dollar acquisition by Cebu Pacific from Rolls-Royce of
new Trent 700 engines for up to eight leased Airbus aircraft that the carrier
will use to launch long haul operations in the second half of 2013.
Cebu Pacific‘s President and CEO Lance Gokongwei
signed the agreement with Alan Webber, managing director and deputy CEO of
Royal Aero UK Ltd.
President Aquino also witnessed the signing of
an agreement between Aboitiz Equity Ventures and Gaz Asia Ltd.
Sabin Aboitiz, president of Pilmico and director
of SN Aboitiz Power signed the agreement with Richard Lilleystone, CEO of Gaz
Asia Ltd.
The joint statement between the two companies
provides for the creation of Asea Gaz Corporation that will develop plants that
will convert organic waste materials into liquid bio methane that can be used
for vehicle fuel. (PCOO)
President Aquino arrives in London for three-day
official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
LONDON: President Benigno S. Aquino III and his
delegation arrived in London for a three-day official visit to further
strengthen the Philippines relations with the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland.
President Aquino, along with key members of his
economic team and some Filipino businessmen, arrived at the Royal Suites London
Heathrow at 9:36 p.m., Monday, onboard Philippine Airlines flight PR001.
This is the President’s first official visit to
the UK and to Europe since he assumed office in 2010. The theme of the UK visit
is “Rising Philippines, Strong Britain: Forcing a New Era of Mutual Prosperity
and Partnership.”
Among the UK officials who welcomed the
President were the Baroness-in-Waiting to Her Majesty the Queen, Lady Rawlings;
Ambassador Nicolas Jarrold, UK government representative; and UK Ambassador
Stephen Lillie.
The President was also met at the airport by
Philippine Embassy officials led by Ambassador Enrique Manalo, Minister Noel
Fernandez and Consul General Bernadette Fernandez.
He was joined by DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez,
DOTC Secretary Mar Roxas, DOE Secretary Rene Almendras, DOF Secretary Cesar
Purisima, DTI Secretary Gregory Domingo and PCDSPO Secretary Ricky Carandang.
From the airport, President Aquino proceeded to
Intercontinental London Park Lane Hotel, where he is billeted for the duration
of his stay here in London.
On Tuesday here, President Aquino will kick off
his official visit with a series of meetings with Rolls Royce, Cebu Pacific,
Asea Gaz Asia Ltd., Aboitiz Equity Ventures Gas Project, Shell and Nestle,
among others.
After the meetings, he will witness the signing
of business deals with Rolls Royce, Cebu Pacific, and Gaz Asia, Aboitiz. It
will be followed by a tour of the Imperial War Museum of London. He will also
have an opportunity to touch base with the Filipino community in UK.
On his last day of visit to UK, President Aquino
will meet with UK Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street at 11 a.m.
(London time).
The President will also attend a luncheon
offered by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and presided by Minister Jeremy Browne
and the Lord Mayor of London Alderman David Wooton at the Lancaster House.
President Aquino will also have an opportunity
to meet with His Royal Highness the Duke of York Prince Andrew at the
Buckingham Palace. (PCOO)
Palace welcomes withdrawal of Chinese,
Philippine vessels from Bajo de Masinloc
Malacanang welcomed the statement of the
Department of Foreign Affairs which said two Chinese ships and a Bureau of
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) maritime vessel pulled out of Bajo de
Masinloc in Panatag Shoal hoping the recent development will eventually resolve
the standoff over the contested territory.
“Yes this is an easing of tensions and we
appreciate the gesture of both parties to deescalate tension in Panatag Shoal,”
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press conference in Malacanang
on Tuesday in connection with the announcement of the Departnent of Foreign
Affairs.
Asked by reporters if he believes the way
forward is non-deployment of additional vessels from both sides, Lacerda said:
“As far as we know, there is a fishing ban on both sides. There is a fishing
ban on the Chinese side and there is a fishing ban on…there is an environmental
protection ban on the part of the BFAR to maintain the ecosystem in the Panatag
Shoal.”
But he emphasized that the way forward is for
the peaceful resolution of the standoff in the Panatag Shoal.
With regards to restoring normal ties between
the Philippines and China, Lacierda added: “The fact that we are able to ease
tension, the fact that the Chinese has decided to withdraw their maritime
vessels is a step in the right direction. Our call has been to deescalate
tension in the Panatag Shoal and we view this as a positive development.”
The Palace official also expressed confidence
that both sides won’t step backwards noting that the Aquino administration
remains hopeful that the way forward is continuous dialogue with its Chinese
counterparts.
The DFA said that although the vessels from both
sides moved out of the lagoon, they remain in the vicinity of the contested
area.
Based on the recent monitoring of the DFA, there
are around eight Chinese government vessels and two maritime ships from the
Philippines positioned near Bajo de Masinloc.
Meanwhile, consultations are ongoing between the
DFA and the Chinese Embassy to thresh out the differences between the two
countries to eventually resolve the ongoing standoff. (PCOO)
Give JBC time to submit candidates list for next
Chief Justice, Malacañang says
Malacañang maintained that the Judicial and Bar
Council (JBC) should be given enough time to deliberate and choose its nominees
for next Chief Magistrate, saying the JBC is the only judicial body mandated by
law to conduct this rigorous and time consuming procedure.
In a press conference in Malacañang on Tuesday,
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said despite the cropping up of the
names of Justice Secretary Leila De Lima and Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim
Henares as possible nominees, the JBC should be given leeway to perform its
duties.
Lacierda said that although both officials were
“qualified to be the next Chief Justice,” it was still up to them if they
wanted to accept the nomination.
“I think the decision whether to be included in
the nomination list will be up to Secretary De Lima and Commissioner Henares.
We have maintained that both persons are qualified to be the next Chief
Justice, however, that decision does not come from us initially, it comes from
the JBC,” Lacierda said.
“And once their names are submitted for
nomination, we still don’t know if Secretary De Lima or Commissioner Henares
will accept,” he added.
He pointed out that both officials “have
performed very well in their respective positions.”
“They are very knowledgeable in the field of law
and nobody can question their competence, integrity and probity,” Lacierda
said. (PCOO)
Government set to roll out Public-Private
Partnership projects for the year 2012
Malacanang bared the Public-Private Partnership
(PPP) projects that will be rolled out by the Aquino government for the year
2012 focused on the realization of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s social
contract with the people and making life better and easier for the Filipinos.
In a regular press briefing in Malacanang,
Tuesday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda stated the various PPP
projects under some government agencies including the Department of
Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of Education (DepEd) and
the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that will be open for
bidding.
“We would be rolling out some PPP projects for
this year, let me just state some of the PPP projects that we will be rolling
out… for DOTC expected for bidding by the last quarter of this year will be the
line 1 Cavite extension, there’s a publication yesterday for pre-qualification.
The Mactan Cebu International Airport, the Panglao Airport, the Automated Fare
Collection System and the Cebu Bus Rapid Transport,” Lacierda said.
“For the Department of Education there is a
target of around 30 thousand classrooms for PPP, first batch would be
9,300…there is a call for bids this July 8. With the second batch, the target
will be 8,500 classrooms, and the third batch will be the balance of 30
thousand,” he added.
Lacierda also said that some of these PPP
projects are ready for implementation. He further noted that the 19.984
billion-pesos North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway (NLEx-SLEx) Link
Expressway will be open for bidding in August, among other projects under the
DPWH.
“For DPWH, we have already bidded out Daang-Hari
and by August, we’ll be bidding out the NLEX-SLEX project, and by next week we
will be bidding out NAIA phase 2,” Lacierda said.
“Details of these PPP projects will be provided
by the respective department agencies,” he added.
The Public-Private Partnership program is a
contractual arrangement between government and the private sector to deliver
public infrastructure and/or public services anchored on the administration’s
efforts to achieve inclusive growth and poverty reduction. (PCOO)
Government maintains support for K+12 program of
DepEd
The Aquino administration defended its move to
implement the Department of Education’s K+12 education program this school year
saying the new initiative would help reduce the country's unemployment rate,
noted a Palace official.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda issued
the statement during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday amid
reports that various groups are urging President Benigno S. Aquino III to
reconsider and postpone the implementation of K+12 program.
Lacierda said the government understands the
reaction of the various groups. "There have always been resistance to
something new. But as we go along, we will be able to adjust to that,"
Lacierda said.
The administration is optimistic that the public
would eventually support the new initiative aimed at improving the country’s
educational system, according to Lacierda.
K+12, as envisioned by DepEd, also aims to
produce high school graduates who have the competency to land a job and to be
better prepared for college education and global opportunities.
"Should these highschool graduates decide
not to pursue college studies, they will still be able to find employment
opportunities after highschool," Lacierda said.
The opening of classes this school year was
marked by the pilot implementation of the K+12 Program. During the opening of
classes on June 4, the DepEd welcomed 21.49 million students in public schools.
Lacierda also assured the government is
addressing the shortage of classrooms. When President Aquino assumed office in
2010, there was a shortage of more than 60,000 classrooms in the country.
Under President Aquino's watch, the government
was able to build 10,000 classrooms and an additional 30,000 classrooms this
year with the help of the different sectors.
Lacierda said the government is doing its best
to fast track the building of more classrooms to address the shortage. (PCOO)
