Aquino declares Sept. 29 as special non-working
day in San Rafael, Bulacan in celebration of its Foundation Day
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
September 29 which falls on a Saturday as a special (non-working) day in the
municipality of San Rafael, in the province of Bulacan, in celebration of its
Foundation Day.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 467 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on Sept. 3 to give the people of San Rafael the full opportunity to celebrate
and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
The town was named after the archangel Saint
Raphael whose feast day is September 29.
Every year, the municipality celebrates its
Angel Festival in honor of their patron saint, Saint Raphael, and six other
archangels. The festival coincides with the foundation day of San Rafael which
was founded in 1758. PND (js/1:28pm)
Aquino government welcomes latest Social Weather
survey indicating that fewer Filipino families consider themselves poor
The Aquino administration welcomed the latest
Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing that fewer Filipino families
consider themselves poor.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda issued
the statement during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Monday
following the release of the Third Quarter 2012 SWS Survey showing that the
families rating themselves as mahirap or poor eased to 47%.
Lacierda said the latest self-rated hunger
survey results by the SWS are the result of the Aquino government’s efforts to
alleviate poverty. He assured that the government continues to sustain the
momentum by implementing various measures to ensure a better future for the
Filipinos.
The SWS poll showed that 47% of the respondents
– equivalent to an estimated 9.5 million families – said they were mahirap or
poor, four points down from 51% (estimated 10.3 million families) in May.
The last time that the self-rated poverty fell
below 50% was in December last year (45%). The record low is 43%, first hit in
March 1987 and again in March 2010.
Fewer families also claimed to be poor in terms
of food, according to the latest SWS survey. The SWS recorded an identical
four-point drop to 35% (equivalent to an estimated 7.2 million families) in
August from 39% (estimated 7.9 million) three months earlier.
The latest food poverty rate is also the lowest
since March 2010’s record low of 31%.
The August 2012 Social Weather Survey was
conducted from August 24-27, 2012 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adult
respondents. PND (js/4:04pm)
Malacanang says the Mining Industry Coordinating
Council agreed to revise three sections of the implementing rules and
regulations for new mining policy
The Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC)
agreed to revise three sections of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR)
for the new mining policy, a Palace official said on Monday.
During the meeting on Monday called by President
Benigno S. Aquino III, the MICC agreed to revise sections 3, 7, and 9 of the
Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Executive Order No. 79, series 2012,
according to Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning
Office (PCDSPO) Secretary Ramon Carandang in a statement issued on Monday.
The revisions were unanimously agreed upon by
the members of the MICC including Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa, Jr.,
Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Trade and Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo,
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje, Energy Secretary Jose
Rene Almendras, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan,
Presidential Assistant for Climate Change Elisea G. Gozon, and PCDSPO Secretary
Carandang and representatives of the Department of Justice and the Office of
the Solicitor General.
Carandang spelled out the revisions as follows:
Section 3. Definition of Terms
“Expired mining tenements” refer to mining
contract/agreements whose 25- or 50-year term has lapsed: Provided, that in the
case of the initial 25-year term, the mining contract/agreement shall be
considered expired if the parties concerned fail to agree on the terms of the
renewal pursuant to Sections 32 and 38 of R.A. No. 7942, the Philippine Mining
Act of 1995, and other pertinent laws.
Section 7. Grant of Mineral Agreements Pending
New Legislation
No new mineral agreements shall be entered into
until a legislation rationalizing existing revenue sharing schemes and
mechanisms shall have taken effect: Provided, that in the case of expansion of
existing contract areas, the same shall be subject to existing laws: Provided,
further, that the National Government-Owned Mining Assets may be subject to the
Financial or Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA) in accordance with Section 9
of these implementing rules and regulations.
Section 9. Opening of Areas for Mining through
Competitive Public Bidding
Section 2, Article 12 of the Constitution
provides that the exploration, development and utilization of natural resources
shall be under the full control of the State. Thus, the grant of mining rights
and mining tenements over areas with known and verified mineral resources and
reserves, including those owned by the Government and all expired tenements,
shall be undertaken through competitive public bidding. The mining
contract/agreement that may be renewed shall be subject to existing laws,
rules, and regulations at the time of renewal. Provided, further, that mining
contractors whose tenements are expiring from September 1, 2012 to April 30,
2013, shall be given thirty (30) calendar days from the effectivity of these
implementing rules and regulations to file renewal applications: Provided,
finally, that those mining contractors whose tenements expire after April 30,
2013, shall file their renewal applications not later than six (6) months prior
to the expiry of their mining contracts/agreements.
President Benigno S. Aquino III signed on July
6, 2012 Executive Order No. 79 (Institutionalizing and Implementing Reforms in
the Philippine Mining Sector 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. The new EO also aims to balance out concerns on environment
protection and economic gains. PND (js/12:48pm)
President Aquino signs Administrative Order No.
30 establishing the Martial Law Historical Advisory Committee to document
Martial Law era events
President Benigno S. Aquino III ordered the
establishment of the Martial Law Historical Advisory Committee with the task of
collecting and compiling information pertaining to the events during the
Martial Law years.
The Chief Executive issued the directive by
virtue of Administrative Order No. 30 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N.
Ochoa Jr. on Sept. 20.
The Martial Law Historical Advisory Committee or
Advisory Committee is tasked to undertake the systematic gathering,
preservation, and publication of the testimonies, oral histories,
documentaries, film and audio records of the Martial Law era.
"The Martial Law Historical Advisory
Committee is hereby established to undertake the compilation of materials that
will make possible the true account of the events that transpired during the
said period in our history," the AO said.
The works of the committee shall be made
available to the public through the websites of the Official Gazette, the
Presidential Museum and Library, and the National Historical Commission of the
Philippines (NHCP), the AO said.
"The Advisory Committee shall initially
gather and publish oral histories about Martial Law. After which, it shall
continue to gather and make accessible to the public documentaries, film, and
audio records as soon as readily available," it added.
"The Advisory Committee may also call upon
any department, agency, or instrumentality of the government for assistance as
the circumstances and exigencies may require," the AO noted.
President Aquino directed the NHCP to act as the
Secretariat of the Advisory Committee. PND (js/5:32pm)
