Aquino declares August 15 as special non-working
day in Bulacan in commemoration of its 434th Foundation Day
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
August 15 which falls on a Wednesday as a special (non-working) day in the
province of Bulacan in commemoration of its 434th Foundation Day.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 443 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on July 26, to give the people of Bulacan the full opportunity to celebrate and
participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
According to the research conducted by the
Center for Bulacan Studies, Bulacan was established as a province on Aug. 15,
1578. It is one of the most progressive provinces in the Philippines. (js)
Aquino government strongly condemns simultaneous
attacks by Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement on military installations in
Maguindanao and North Cotabato
The Aquino administration strongly condemned the
simultaneous attacks of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM) forces on
military installations in different areas in Maguindanao and North Cotabato on
Sunday.
"The attacks initiated by this lawless
group during Ramadan only demonstrate their disrespect for this holy month of
our Muslim faithful, and their disregard for innocent lives that can be
displaced or lost during their irrational assaults," Presidential Adviser
on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles said in a statement read by
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda during the regular press briefing in
Malacanang on Monday.
Reports said military installations in the
municipalities of Talayan, Datu Unsay, Datu Saudi Ampatuan and Shariff Aguak in
Maguindanao; and in Midsayap in North Cotabato were simultaneously attacked by
small bands of armed men led by Ustadz Carialan, chief of staff of the BIFM.
"The BIFM is not part of the MILF (Moro
Islamic Liberation Front), and thus is not covered by any ceasefire agreement.
Formerly known as Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, the BIFM is led by Ameril
Umbra Kato who, together with his followers, was dissociated from the MILF who
declared him as a “bougat or one who defies or does not obey an order,” Deles
said.
"Definitely, our government forces are
ready for necessary defensive actions to protect and ensure the welfare of the
communities should the perpetrators launch attacks again. Pursuit operations
against Carialan and his men are being conducted to bring them to the bar of
justice," Deles said.
Deles assured that the act of aggression of the
BIFM will not derail the peace process between the government and the MILF.
"We assure the public that these incidents
will not affect the substantial gains that we have carefully and persistently
built with our counterparts, foremost of which is the ceasefire mechanism that
continues to hold on the ground and kept the peace for our communities,"
Deles stressed.
As the Government and MILF panels start this
week the 30th Formal Exploratory Talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Deles said,
the Aquino government remains firm in its resolve to continue engaging the MILF
in the negotiation table until both parties are able to reach an agreement to
finally resolve the conflict in Mindanao and bring peace to the people. (js)
Malacañang stresses President's advocacy for
responsible parenthood, says Aquino is against abortion
President Benigno S. Aquino III is against
abortion contrary to the claim of some of the anti-Reproductive Health (RH)
bill groups that he never values life and dignity of every human person, a
Palace official said on Monday.
"The President is against abortion. There
has been disinformation going around that the President is for abortion,"
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during the regular press briefing
in Malacanang on Monday.
The President has advocated for a responsible
parenthood proposal to give the people proper information regarding family
planning so they could arrive at better decisions on the size of their
families, according to Lacierda.
Lacierda said the President has already stated
his five-point position on responsible parenthood.
"President Aquino wants natural family
planning centers (to be) established just to allay the fears that the President
has taken a position one way.... It is again a decision on us, on the parents
to choose—number one, that you will be informed of the manner and method of
family planning and that we will provide you help along that way. In that
manner, the President has advocated the establishment of natural family
planning centers," he said.
"Para lang ipaalam sa publiko na wala pong
preference po ang Presidente one way or the other. It’s the fact that we need
to inform the public of an information campaign, as to the manner of family planning,"
Lacierda said.
Lacierda assured the public that the President
took into consideration the concerns of the Catholic bishops when he introduced
the Responsible Parenthood Bill to the Congress. (js)
President Aquino to tap students in anti-corruption
campaign
President Benigno S. Aquino III will soon be
coordinating with the different schools and universities in the country in a
move to entice students to join the administration’s anti-corruption campaign
by being on the lookout for uncommon circumstances within their areas.
The President said in a dialogue with graduating
students of PAREF Southridge in Malacañang on Monday that the students could
help government weed out individuals or groups who pose fictitious names and
addresses to defraud the government of custom taxes and duties.
He said a common practice of smugglers would be
to use false names and addresses in their applications with the Bureau of
Customs in order to evade arrest and mislead authorities.
“So the idea is, you all have cell phones, you
take a picture of their address…we’re coordinating with certain schools, then
we have proof right away if the consignee is fictitious and that they are a
party to smuggling,” the President said.
“Sometimes all you have to do is look at the
construction (activities) if you go to your provinces or even your city.
There’s a construction going on and you think its substandard, again your cell
phones become very good pieces of investigative equipment,” he added. (rck)
