Aquino declares September 3 as special
non-working day in Iriga City, Camarines Sur in celebration of its 44th Founding Anniversary
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
September 3, which falls on a Monday, as a special (non-working) day in the
city of Iriga in the province of Camarines Sur in celebration of its 44th
Founding Anniversary.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 456 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on Aug. 14 to give the people of Iriga the full opportunity to celebrate and
participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
On July 8, 1968, Iriga was converted into a city
by virtue of Republic Act 5261. However, it was only on September 3 of the same
year that the city was formally organized and inaugurated as the third city of
the Bicol Region by then President Ferdinand Marcos. (js)
Palace satisfied with 2nd quarter growth
Malacañang is satisfied with the economic growth
performance of the country for the second quarter, a senior government official
said on Thursday.
In a press briefing in Malacañang, Presidential
Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ramon Carandang
said that the 5.9 percent growth rate posted by the country in the second
quarter was still within the growth range of 5-6 percent projected by the
government economists.
“Yes... we’re very happy with 5.9 percent
economic growth because number one, it exceeded the market expectations. The
consensus estimate was around 5.3 percent, so we’ve done that,” Carandang said.
He added that the modest growth rate posted by
the country is still one of the highest in the region which, with the rest of
the world, has been reeling from the effects of a global economic downtrend.
“Number two, it is among the highest in Asia,
among our peers. At a time when there is a lot of economic uncertainty, our
economy continues to show relative strength,” Carandang said.
“So, yes, we are very happy about it,” he added.
(rck)
Malacanang says Mining Industry Coordinating
Council is expected to submit proposed implementing rules and regulation for
new mining policy by end of September
The Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC)
is expected to submit to President Benigno S. Aquino III the proposed
implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the new mining policy by the end
of September, a Palace official said on Wednesday.
The MICC is the newly-created body tasked to
formulate the implementing rules and regulations for Executive Order 79, also
known as the new mining policy.
"Let me cite the legislation that the
industry is waiting for, the EO calls for a review of the current legislation
on royalties for mining. The MICC which has been meeting consistently is hoping
to have a draft of the legislation by the end of September to show to the
Palace," Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning
Office Secretary Ramon Carandang said during the regular press briefing in
Malacanang on Thursday.
"So I can assure the industry that things
are moving along at a good pace. I think, once those issues have been clarified
we will see an increase in activity from that sector," Carandang said.
Carandang said the executive order on mining
aims to generate more revenues for the government and address mining industry
and environmental concerns.
President Aquino signed on July 6, 2012
Executive Order No. 79 (Institutionalizing and Implementing Reforms in the
Philippine Mining Sector by providing policies and guidelines to ensure
Environmental Protection and Responsible Mining in the utilization of Mineral
Resources).
With the crafting of the new mining policy, the
Aquino administration hopes that the new measure will generate more revenues
for the government in the face of a high demand for metallic resources. The new
Executive Order also aims to balance out concerns on environment protection and
economic gains. (js/1:57pm)
Aquino receives Smart Gilas Pilipinas in a
courtesy call
President Benigno S. Aquino III received the
members of the Smart Gilas Pilipinas national basketball team in a courtesy
call in Malacanang on Thursday.
Smart Gilas team presented the President a
jersey and a basketball with signatures of the players and in return the Chief
Executive gave each of the Smart Gilas members a token.
The national basketball team posted a historic
win over taller American squad on Sunday to bag its first William Jones Cup
title in 14 years, 76-75, in Taipei, Taiwan.
The country first won the Jones Cup by the
Centennial Teamin 1996 led by Philippine Basketball Association legends Alvin
Patrimonio and Allan Caidic.
In 2011, the Philippines placed third in the
Jones Cup with a 6-3 record with the first incarnation of the Smart Gilas team,
comprised of amateur players and PBA members.
Smart Gilas team players include LA Tenorio,
Jay-R Reyes, Ranidel de Ocampo, Sonny Thoss, Gabe Norwood, Sol Mercado, Mac
Baracael, Marcus Douthit, Larry Fonacier, Garvo Lanete, Enrico Villanueva, Matt
Ganuelas, Jeff Chan, and Gary David.
Smart Gilas team officials who met the President
include Smart Communications chief wireless adviser Orlando Vea, Smart Sports’
Patrick Gregorio, Head coach Chot Reyes, team manager Butch Antonio, assistant
coaches Jong Uichico, Ryan Gregorio and Josh Reyes. Physical therapist Dexter
Aseron and liaison officer Yvette Ruiz, and utility officer Bong Tulabot were
also present.
Smart Gilas Pilipinas is a developmental
Philippine National Basketball team sponsored by Smart Communications and the
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
The R. William Jones Cup, or the Jones Cup, is
an international basketball tournament held annually since 1977 in Taipei,
Taiwan. William Jones founded the tournament with participants coming mainly
from the Asian and North American regions.
The Jones Cup also invites clubs, collegiate
teams, and national teams around the world. (as/2:52pm)
Economic team working to sustain momentum in the
first half
The country’s economic managers are watching the
developments overseas particularly in Europe and the US because of its possible
impact on the Philippine economy in the second half of the year, a Palace
official said on Thursday.
The Philippines continues to diversify its
exports to different countries and carries out other measures having in mind
that uncertainty in those regions could make local conditions difficult to
handle, Secretary Ramon Carandang of the Presidential Communications
Development and Strategic Planning Office said in a press conference in
Malacanang on Thursday.
The question whether Greece stays in the Euro,
or whether the Republicans and the Democrats in the US come to terms in some
kind of budget deal are the things that the economic cluster are watching out
for possible risks to the country’s gross domestic product, he noted.
“That will have an impact on us. It will have an
impact on remittances, possibly, and on exports,” Carandang said.
But mentioning figures from Economic Planning
Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Carandang said that actually the Philippines’s capital
formation or investments increased by about two percent in the second
quarter—2.3 percent. During the same period last year, it was down by 10.1
percent, he said.
“Arsi (Balisacan) says that he believes that
this is a trend that has begun, that capital formation has bottomed out and
that we’re going to see new investments and new capital formations,
contributing increasingly to economic growth as we move forward. So hopefully
that will, to some extent, offset some of the uncertainty that we’re facing in
Europe and North America,” he added.
Carandang also said the Aquino administration is
satisfied with the 5.9 percent economic growth posted by the country for the
second quarter noting that it even exceeded market expectations. (as)
