Malacanang condoles with the family of Justice
Secretary Leila de Lima on the passing of her father, former Commissioner of
the Commission on Elections Vicente de Lima
Malacanang expressed sincere sympathies to the
family and friends of Justice Secretary Leila B. de Lima, whose father, Vicente
B. de Lima passed away due to colon cancer. He was 83.
In a statement during the regular press briefing
in Malacanang on Tuesday, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
conveyed condolences on behalf of the Aquino government to the De Lima family.
“We would like to convey our sincerest
condolences to the family of Secretary De Lima on the passing of her father,
former Comelec Commissioner Vicente B. de Lima. We got word that last Monday
the former Comelec commissioner passed away and again our sincerest condolences
with the family and friends of the late Vicente B. de Lima,” Valte said.
Vicente de Lima served as commissioner of the
Commission on Elections (Comelec) from 1992 to 1994 under chairman Christian
Monsod. (jcl/1:40 p.m.)
Malacanang urges students to refrain from
engaging in violent activities
Malacanang called on the students to refrain
from participating in violent activities such as inflicting harm on others, as
another case of suspected hazing resulted to the alleged death of a student
from the San Beda law school, recently.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
issued the call during the regular press briefing on Tuesday in Malacanang
stressing that no one benefits from such kind of illegal activities.
“Kung totoo man na ito ay biktima ng hazing,
itigil na po natin ang ganitong cycle of violence, wala namang nagbe-benefit sa
ganito,” Valte said.
She further assured that the Philippine National
Police will be conducting a thorough investigation of the case.
“Nakagugulat po ang nangyari na meron na namang
victim of alleged hazing, wala pa sa atin lahat ng impormasyon… sa aking
pagkakaalam ay inutusan na ng hepe ng pulis doon na imbestigahan dahil late
yata na-confirm,” Valte said.
Reports revealed that a student of San Beda law
school died after going through a suspected fraternity hazing rituals in
Dasmarinas, Cavite on Sunday.
In a post on its Facebook page, Lsghotline Sbc,
the San Beda Law Student Government confirmed the death of Marc Andrei Marcos.
Pending the completion of investigation, the
case is being treated as a "mauling" incident.
If the hazing angle proves true, Marcos would be
the second San Beda law student to die from hazing this year after Marvin
Reglos, who was killed in February. (jcl/2:00 p.m.)
Palace says the national government must work
together with LGUs to address perennial flooding
Malacanang asked the local government units to
work with the national government to effectively carry out flood control
programs for the benefit of the Filipino people.
Several concerns were raised this week as rains
brought by Typhoon ‘Gener’ inundated many areas, with some blaming the
continuous road repairs despite the onset of the rainy season. Some were asking
for the government to push for a more effective flood control program of the
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“Nagkaroon na ng inspeksyon si Pangulo noon doon
sa Pasig River system to check ang progress nito… Meron na kasing mga study,
meron na tayong mga short-term solutions na nagawa na and the President was
very satisfied. However, the DPWH has always been open to working with the
local government units kung ano ang kailangang gawin,” Deputy Presidential
spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday.
Valte also said that dredging the river system
is not the only solution to the problem noting that local government units must
work with the DPWH to address flooding.
Also the Palace official appealed to the public
to help clean their surroundings and to care for the environment to avoid
compounding the problem of flooding in the country particularly in the
metropolis.
“Also, ang sanitation natin is also a concern
for us. Kailangan lang maging maayos ‘yung pag-enforce natin ng mga sanitation
laws and also as an appeal to the public we also need to be mindful of our
surroundings para hindi po naa-aggravate ‘yung mga ganitong pagbugso ng
panahon,” she said. (as/2:34pm)
Malacanang says Aquino government doing its best
to strengthen the country’s bid in international sports competition
Malacanang said that the Aquino government is
looking for possible measures that will strengthen the country’s bid to various
international sports competitions as well as to provide sufficient support and
hone the innate skills of Filipino athletes in their respective sports
disciplines.
In a press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday,
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that despite the country’s
limited resources, President Benigno S. Aquino III has directed the concerned
sports officials to identify the sporting events where the Filipino athletes
can undeniably excel.
“Ang sinasabi po ng Pangulo is, given na limited
po ang resources natin, kailangan nating i-identify ang mga paligsahan kung
saan tayo malakas — doon sa mga sport na meron tayong pagkakataon at kailangang
linangin ang ating mga atleta. By doing that, we will get to allocate the
limited resources to support our athletes in those areas where we can excel,”
Valte said.
She also wished the best of luck to the Filipino
athletes who will be playing in their respective sports in the ongoing 2012 Summer
Olympics in London.
“Well, good luck po … marami ang nanonood…
parang there’s a collected groan from the country noong natanggal ’yung
weightlifter natin. Sayang — kahapon po ’yon. Sayang po but there will be other
opportunities. We wish him luck mamaya sa kanyang pagsabak,” Valte added.
There are eleven Filipino athletes participating
in the 2012 Summer Olympics in various sports events that include
weightlifting, swimming, shooting, cycling, boxing, athletics and archery.
(jcl/2:30 p.m.)
Malacanang assures contingency measures and
assistance for victims of typhoon ‘Gener’
Malacanang assured that the Aquino government,
through various concerned agencies, is always prepared for the necessary
contingency measures and assistance for the victims of the recent typhoon
“Gener” that hit the country recently.
In a press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday,
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that all the needed
assistance are on stand-by pending their deployment to the provinces, cities
and municipalities that were affected by the typhoon.
“We will be ready to provide assistance either
by way of search and rescue teams or deployment of warm bodies that they may
need for their operations. Handa po lagi tayo sa pagbibigay ng ating relief
assistance,” Valte said.
Recent reports bared that the onslaught of
typhoon “Gener” has resulted to seven fatalities and affected some 8,298
families in the country.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (NDRRMC) accounts revealed that the deaths occurred in
Antique, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Zamboanga del Norte. Three of the
seven deaths were attributed to drowning.
The NDRRMC report noted that eight people have
been rescued adding that 1,752 families are being served inside 30 evacuation
centers in the country.
Typhoon Gener has maximum sustained winds of 120
kph near the center. It is expected to be 670 km North Northwest of Basco,
Batanes outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility. It is expected to leave
the Philippine area of responsibility on Friday morning. (jcl/3:08 p.m.)
Coloma meets Philippine team for ASEAN Quiz in
Cambodia
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. of the
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) received on Tuesday the
members of the Philippine delegation who will compete at the 5th ASEAN Quiz in
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on August 1 to 5.
The four-member Philippine delegation includes
Francesca Ann Inacay, St. Albert the Great School, Dagupan City; Krystianne
Paul de Pedro, Koronadal Comprehensive High School, Koronadal City; Maria
Angela Krizelle Rubin, San Joaquin National High School, Calbayog, Samar, with
Elenita Directo of PTV4, as delegation head.
The Philippine quiz team, who will leave for
Cambodia August 1, was accompanied by their coaches and school officials during
the meeting with Coloma.
“We have very high hopes for you. You will be
carrying the colors of the country and not just your schools,” Coloma said as
he expressed his best wishes for the Philippine team.
Boosting the confidence of the participants,
Coloma said Filipinos have unique talents and can match or defeat other
nationals. He said the Cambodia competition is the time for the students to
shine and showcase their skills.
The quiz competition in Cambodia will follow the
same format used by the Philippines when the country hosted the regional
competition in 2009. This includes individual country competition (formal
competition) and friendly group competition (game show competition).
The three students who will participate in the
Cambodia quiz bee were the winners of the national quiz tilt held at PTV4 in
January this year.
The national competition was hosted by the PCOO,
PTV4, Philippine Information Agency (PIA) and BBS in partnership with the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
The ASEAN Quiz, which started as a project of
the ASEAN Committee in Culture and Information (COCI) in 2002, is a biannual
competition participated in by students from the 10-member ASEAN states.
It aims to elicit the spirit of healthy
competition among the ASEAN youth in a friendly quiz game to promote knowledge
and understanding of the roles of the ASEAN in achieving regional peace,
solidarity and cooperation.
The competition also aims to promote ASEAN
awareness among the general public and to encourage private sector
participation in the event.
The quiz, which is a Philippine initiative
through the COCI sub-committee on information, was included in a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) signed by the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information
in October 2000.
The ASEAN National Committee on Culture and
composed of representatives from PCOO, PIA, PTV, DFA, CCP and NCCA held the
national competitions to pick participants for the Cambodia event. (as)
Palace hails SC’s affirmation of antipoverty
program
Malacanang welcomed the Supreme Court’s
affirmation of the constitutionality of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program
(4Ps) program of the government saying the move will bolster the antipoverty
initiative of the Aquino administration.
“We welcome the unanimous decision of the
Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of the Pantawid Pamilyang
Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Aquino administration,” Deputy Presidential
spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement she read during a press briefing
in Malacanang on Tuesday.
“The affirmation of the government’s flagship
anti-poverty initiative comes at an important time, as the House of
Representatives begins its deliberations on the General Appropriations Act for
2013.”
Valte said that in the proposed budget submitted
by the President to Congress the allocation for social equity—which covers
investments in education, health, and welfare—has increased by P85 billion to
P698.4 billion from last year’s outlay of P613.4 billion.
The move is in line with the administration’s
commitment to increase the number of 4Ps household beneficiaries from 3.1
million this year to 3.8 million next year—for which the administration has
increased the allocation from P39.4 billion in 2012 to P44.3 billion in 2013,
she said.
“The 4Ps program is a realization of our
commitment to inclusive and equitable economic growth. At its core is the
partnership between government and families, and the fulfillment of a pledge
that as many Filipinos should benefit from the fruits of our reforms.”
Citing a record from the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD), Valte reported a decline of 1,000 household
beneficiaries under the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.
Some of the beneficiaries were delisted from the
DSWD after a cleanup of its database, discovering that they were not qualified
for the program and after the DSWD has cleaned up of its database.
There were some beneficiaries whose benefits
have been frozen pending full compliance with the conditions set by the DSWD.
As of May 31, 2012, the total disbursement of
the government is more than P9 billion for cash grant payments, P4.6 billion in
health grants; and P4.4 billion in education grants.
The CCT is implemented in 138 cities, 1,261
municipalities, and 79 provinces in the country. (as/4:21pm)
Government strengthens tie ups with media to
disseminate information during calamities
The government will continue to strengthen the
partnership between government and the press through traditional and social
media to inform the public on a wide range of issues particularly during times
of calamities.
“Traditional media has always been our constant
partner in disseminating information to the public. Government has always
appreciated the role of media especially in times of calamity. We will always
rely on our media partners to ensure that there is a consistent and credible
stream of advice, guidance, and information to ensure our people’s safety and
welfare,” Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement on
Tuesday.
With the rise of social media, the Aquino
government continuously seeks to improve the dissemination models used during
past calamities, such as in preparations for tsunami surges, storms, and other
weather disturbances.
And with the government’s constant presence in
social networking, which links it directly with public and media institutions,
this enables the government to post real-time updates and accurate reports that
are further disseminated by broadcast outfits, she said.
“In no way, however, does government advocate
the sole use of social media knowing fully well that the internet
infrastructure still needs more improvement and community participation,” Valte
said. (as/4:37pm)
