Aquino continues to monitor situation in Metro
Manila and nearby provinces
President Benigno S. Aquino III continuously
receives updates on the weather situation in Metro Manila and nearby provinces
as continuous heavy downpour flooded several areas, a Palace official said on
Tuesday.
“The President is being constantly updated by
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and Department of Science and
Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (DOST-PAGASA) on the weather situation as well as what we have
been doing to address several flooded areas in the metro,” Deputy Presidential
Spokesperson Abigail Valte said during a media briefing in Malacanang.
Heavy rains due to a Low Pressure Area is
affecting the country. It was reported that Ipo dam in Luzon has opened its
gates to release water while several domestic flights have been cancelled.
Citing a report from PAGASA, Valte said the rain
is expected to continue in the next four hours. Authorities continue to watch
the dams and alerts for the different dams have already been disseminated as a
result of the continues rains.
Authorities are also watching for the
possibility of landslides and floods, Valte said. Among these areas include
Mauban and Real in Quezon, Paete and Siniloan in Laguna and Teresa in Rizal.
Light to moderate rain is also expected in
Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Bataan, Quezon, Batangas
and some parts of Zambales, according to Valte.
With regards to the flooding in Metro Manila,
particularly in Quezon City, Valte said the MMDA have deployed trucks to
address the flooding and the removal of obstacles in the drainage system.
“And also the MMDA is constantly updating the
public on the traffic situation as we have asked them to do para naman
mabawasan ang burden na dala ng ulan,” she said.
Valte also announced that the DOST launched a project
called Project NOAH in cooperation with several other agencies intended to
mitigate or prevent disasters. The DOST will also maintain a website for the
project. NOAH stands for the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards.
“Primarily this was launched to make sure that
we have a responsive disaster management and disaster prevention, and
mitigation efforts as well, to make sure that another Ondoy does not happen,”
Valte said.
“We encourage everybody to take a look at the
site especially for you, for our friends in the media na bago kayo lumabas
makikita n’yo doon ‘yung environment lalo na kung saan kayo pupunta dahil
madalas kayo ‘yung nade-deploy to do reports on the weather.” (as/2:14pm)
Palace says Philippines remains committed to
peaceful resolution of West Philippine Sea dispute
Malacanang reiterated that the Philippines
remains committed to the peaceful resolution of the dispute in the West
Philippines Sea saying that the President’s statements on US spy planes
monitoring the borders was taken out of context.
It was reported that the Chinese Foreign
Ministry had released a statement asking the Philippine government not to issue
more provocative statements that would raise tensions.
The Chinese officials are referring to the
statement of the President Benigno S. Aquino III about a possible assistance of
the US through the use of American spy planes in the West Philippine Sea to
monitor the country’s borders.
Secretary Ramon Carandang of the Presidential
Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) said during a
press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday that the Chief Executive was just
responding to specific questions during an interview by Thomson Reuters this
week.
One of the questions was whether or not the Philippines
would approve flyovers by the US surveillance planes called Orions, and whether
or not the government had approved flyovers to monitor the Philippine
territory, he said.
“The President said that was one of the options.
Remember that we have a responsibility to monitor our territory to make sure
that there are no incursions for one reason or another and our capabilities are
rather limited,” Carandang said.
“The President was responding in the context of
saying that it’s one of the options being considered to enable us to enhance
our ability to monitor our territory. Now, he reiterated that there have been
no decisions and that the primary responsibility belongs to the Philippine
government.”
And if the Philippine government authorizes
surveillance flights using US spy planes, they are not meant to be provocative,
Carandang noted, adding that it was in reference to the monitoring of
Philippine territory.
“There’s no offensive capability here. So this
should not be viewed as a provocative statement,” he added.
Carandang also explained that any US spy plane
flyover in the West Philippine Sea wouldn’t require a treaty or agreement with
the US because there are existing military agreements with the American
government.
The Palace official also hopes that the recent
spat between the People’s Republic of China and the Philippines will be
resolved soon as the two countries continues to talk through diplomatic
channels. (as/2:42pm)
Palace optimistic about second quarter GDP
growth
The Aquino administration sees continuing
economic growth in the second quarter as a result of bullish agriculture sector
and enhanced business activities as a result of accelerated government
spending, a Palace official said.
“Is there reason for us to be optimistic about
second quarter growth? Yes. Number one, ‘pag tiningnan n’yo po ‘yung
agriculture output in the first quarter, it grew by about one percent net. I am
told by Secretary Procy Alcala that the second quarter figures are most likely
going to be higher than that,” Secretary Ramon Carandang of the Presidential
Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) said in a
media briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday.
“The government expenditures which we began to
accelerate in December continue to accelerate even into the second quarter. So
the same factors that led to the growth in the first quarter seem to be present
and perhaps even more in the second quarter, which is where we’re seeing some
confidence that the second quarter growth could be stronger,” he added.
The President, during an interview by Reuters
this week, said that he expects the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in
the second quarter to surpass the first quarter.
Asked by reporters if they’ll be surprised if
the GDP growth hits seven percent this year, Carandang said they are going to
stick to five to six percent target for the whole year.
The global economic environment is gloomy at
this time, Carandang said, resulting to a slower growth in the country.
Economic woes persist in Greece, Spain, and
possibly Italy, Carandang said, noting China’s economy is also slowing down.
Japan is also still beginning to recover, he added. (as/3:33pm)
