Aquino swears in Abaya, Cacdac in Malacanang
President
Benigno S. Aquino III swore in Thursday former Congressman Joseph Emilio Abaya
as the new Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communication
(DOTC) and former Philippine National Police (PNP) Deputy Dir. Gen. Arturo
Cacdac Jr. as the new head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Abaya was appointed by the President as DOTC
head following the death of the late Interior and Local Government Secretary
Jesse Robredo last August.
Former senator Manuel Roxas II moved to the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Abaya filled the
position vacated by Roxas. Roxas and Abaya were confirmed by the Commission on
Appointments last September 19.
Born on May 28, 1966, Abaya is the
great-grandson of the first President of the Philippines, Gen. Emilio
Aguinaldo. He is also a relative of the revolutionary hero Isabelo Abaya. His
uncle, Gen. Narciso Abaya, served as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines.
Abaya went to the University of the Philippines
to study engineering. He also entered the Philippine Military Academy and later
trained at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.
Abaya was elected as representative of Cavite
first district in 2004 and three years later he earned a law degree from Ateneo
de Manila University. He won two more congressional terms, in 2007 and in 2010.
He is the current chair of the House committee on appropriations.
Abaya is married to Rowena Abesamis, a
pediatrician. The couple has three children.
The new DOTC chief isn’t a stranger at the
Palace. He served as aide-de-camp to former President Corazon Aquino when he
was a young lieutenant in the Philippine Navy.
President Aquino appointed former Philippine
National Police (PNP) Deputy Director General Arturo Cacdac Jr. as the new head
of PDEA. Cacdac replaced Undersecretary Jose S. Gutierrez Jr.
A member of Philippine Military Class 1978,
Cacdac was the second most senior official of the Philippine National Police.
He bowed out of the service on October 11, triggering a top-level revamp in the
police force.
Cacdac was the PNP’s deputy director general for
administration when he retired. PND (as/1:58pm)
Aquino government continues to agressively
implement reforms to generate economic and social gains to attain a more
progressive economy
The
Aquino administration continues to aggressively implement reforms to generate
economic and social gains after the ratio of the country’s debt to its total
gross domestic product (GDP) declined to below 50%, a Palace official said on
Thursday.
The government
remains optimistic in achieving the government’s goal of attaining a more
progressive economy for the country due to its focus on fiscal management and
reforms within the bureaucracy, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said
in a regular press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday.
“We have
improved our revenue efficiency by two percent to GDP since President Aquino
took office. Our deficit is way under our program," Lacierda said.
"Our
debt-to-GDP has declined to below 50 percent. We are rated two notches above
investment grade by the market and we are definitely the most underrated
country. We will continue to focus on getting deeper into the virtuous cycle,”
he said.
Various
groups expressed concern over the "delay" of the passage of the Sin
Tax bill by the Senate saying it can affect the Philippine's investment grade
rating, according to reports.
"With respect to the sin tax measure,
it’s not yet over. So it’s going to be deliberated on. It’s not too late.
There’s still no setback as far as we are concerned," Lacierda said when
asked to comment.
"The
position taken by the Department of Finance is that they prefer the original
DoF version. But, according to Secretary Cesar Purisima, they are willing to
accept a lower amount of P40-billion provided that the other objectives of the
bill such as the health and the WTO (World Trade Organization) issues are
addressed," Lacierda said. PND (js)
Palace hopes to immediately settle issues with
Senate over sin tax proposal
Malacanang expressed hope that the Executive
Branch and the Senate could soon agree on a compromise on the sin tax
collection proposal for the benefit of the people.
Citing
the position of the Department of Finance, Presidential Spokesman Edwin
Lacierda said in a press briefing on Thursday that the administration is open
to ironing out the sin tax issue as long as it addresses the health and trade
issues wanted by the Aquino administration.
Lacierda
said it would be a victory for the people if the government could get the
P60-billion annual collection from sin taxes since it will address the
healthcare coverage in a particular number of years.
Lacierda
also explained that the Department of Finance prefers the original P60-billion
version but the department is also willing to accept a lower amount of
P40-billion provided that the other objectives of the bill such as the health
and the WTO issues are addressed.
Asked if
the administration got an assurance from the senators on a particular amount
that they could work on, Lacierda said, legislators are amenable in figures
between P40 billion to P60 billion.
The
Senate Ways and Means Committee recommended last week a measure that will raise
P15 billion to P20 billion in additional tax revenues per year. The House of
Representatives, on the other hand, approved last June its sin tax version,
which is expected to raise P31.35 billion in the first year of implementation.
The
Palace proposal is pegged at P60 billion a year. PND (as/3:33pm)
