President Aquino continues to reap praises for
historic signing of the Framework Agreement between the government and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front
CANBERRA,
Australia: President Benigno S. Aquino III continues to reap praises from state
leaders on the recent historic signing of the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement
between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
In their respective speeches at the state dinner
held Wednesday evening here, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and
opposition leader Senator George Brandis both commended President Aquino for
having reached a deal with the MILF.
“We applaud your leadership, Mr. President, in
seeking to bring peace and stability to Mindanao… We congratulate you on
reaching a Framework Peace Agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front,”
Gillard said.
“We share your hope that a peace agreement will
end this decades-long conflict and we will work with you and the people of
Mindanao to ensure the benefits of peace are felt as real progress for all,”
she added.
Mindanao is the recipient of around half of
Australia’s development assistance to the Philippines, Gillard said adding that
their continuing projects there especially in the areas of education and social
welfare are very vital.
“The work we are doing together particularly in
education, training teachers, building classrooms, developing curriculum for
Islamic and indigenous children, training out-of-school youths to give them an
alternative to conflict, supporting social protection programs for the poorest
families is vital to this end,” she said.
Brandis, for his part, stated that friends of
the Philippines have also been encouraged by the peace deal signed earlier this
month which they hope will finally bring an end to the long-running rebellionin
the southern Philippines.
In a press briefing held earlier with
Manila-based reporters, Philippine Ambassador Belen Anota mentioned that the
Australian government even said the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement “can be used
as a model for other peace processes in the region.”
“I think
that’s a very good sign of Australia’s very strong support for us and a strong
affirmation of the accomplishments of the President,” Anota said.
In a joint press statement issued by Prime
Minister Gillard and President Aquino following their bilateral meeting, the
two leaders agreed that it would now be important for the agreement to be fully
implemented, resulting in significant improvements to the security and prosperity
of communities across the southern Philippines.
“Prime Minister Gillard congratulated President
Aquino on the signing on 15 October 2012 of a Framework Agreement on the
Bangsamoro with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an insurgency movement in
southern Philippines that entered into negotiations with the government in the
late 90s. Both leaders hoped the Agreement would provide a basis for genuine,
lasting peace in Mindanao,” the statement read.
Prime Minister Gillard and President Aquino,
moreover, announced a development program to contribute to building peace and
stability in Mindanao, by improving access to education through the BEAM-ARMM
(Basic Education Assistance to Mindanao – Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao)
that will support the most disadvantaged conflict-affected communities.
“The program will introduce community-based
education in remote communities, integrate health and hygiene programs in
schools, develop technical and vocational training for out-of-school youth, and
increase access to quality early childhood and basic education,” the statement
said. PND (hdc)
Government
aggressively investing in people, Aquino says
President
Benigno S. Aquino III said his administration has aggressively invested in
people so that Filipinos don’t leave their families to work abroad and instead
encourage those who left to return home.
Leaving
overseas should be an option not a necessity for the people, the President said
during a business forum in Australia on Thursday.
To meet
its goal, the government increased the budget for education and healthcare
since 2011, he said. In the proposed 2013 budget, the public will see
substantial increases in terms of spending for education and health, he added.
The
President noted that from 63 percent, the government was able to achieve
85-percent national health insurance program coverage. As the administration
increased the number of people covered, it also widened the number of diseases
covered by the health plan.
“We
believe our greatest resource is our people therefore the investments have to
enable our people to seize the opportunities that would be coming,” the
President said.
“Our mantra
is inclusive growth. We also believe that direct intervention to accelerate the
process of their being included in the growth of the economy is as important,”
he said.
The Chief
Executive also acknowledged the need to shift the focus of the government’s
thrust from consumer-driven economy to investment-driven one.
“We would
like to move that from consumer to investment driven and that is the focus of
this administration, providing more and more opportunities for our countrymen
at home. We are not doing that on a passive basis,” he stressed.
Currently, the President said there are about
10 million Filipinos scattered around the world that the government has to
protect if there are uncertainties.
According
to the President, if overseas Filipino workers opt to go back, there are
available reintegration programs being carried out by the government that
include financial assistance, loans and livelihood training. PND (as/1:50pm)
Malacanang says Department of Agrarian Reform
starts inventory to fast-track land distribution to legitimate farmers of
Hacienda Luisita
The
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has started conducting inventory to
fast-track the distribution of land to legitimate Hacienda Luisita farmers, a
Palace official said on Thursday.
The Aquino government began implementing the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) Law,
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during the regular press briefing
in Malacanang on Thursday.
"Noon pa po, ilang buwan na nakaraan ay
pumunta po ang DAR sa Hacienda Luisita, ini-enbentaryo na po lahat ang
beneficiaries. Ang sabi po ng Korte ng Suprema, ang gagawin natin basehan kung
sino ang entitled sa lupa sa Hacienda Luisita ay iyong mga farmer-beneficiaries
nung 1989," Lacierda said.
President Benigno S. Aquino III vowed to
distribute to legitimate farmer beneficiaries all lands covered by the CARPER
during his administration.
The Chief Executive remains committed to
complete the objectives of the CARPER and attain genuine agricultural
development in the country.
Last June, President Aquino met with the
farmers' groups and Church officials to reaffirm his commitment to land reform
programs. He also reiterated his vigorous support for the development of our
countryside.
During the meeting with the farmers, Church
officials and other stakeholders last June, President Aquino approved the
setting up of a multi-stakeholders mechanism to complete the objectives of the
CARPER before it expires in 2014.
The multi-stakeholders mechanism that is
composed of representatives from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and
other CARP-implementing agencies of the government, the church, non-government
organizations, peoples’ organizations, and other farmers' groups and
federations, monitors the implementation of the CARP. PND (js)
President Aquino urges Australian businessmen to
‘ride the wave of optimism’ and invest in the Philippines
SYDNEY,
Australia: President Benigno S. Aquino III on Thursday encouraged businessmen
here to “ride the wave of optimism” and invest in the Philippines which, he
said, has reeled from its previous tag of being the ‘Sick Man of Asia’ to
‘Asia’s Next Tiger.’
Speaking before a roomful of audience at the
Philippines-Australia business forum held at the Shangri La Hotel, President
Aquino took pride at the positive comments made on the Philippines by several
publications and analysts as well as the actions taken by international credit
ratings agencies in recent months.
“The Philippine economy has been turned around,
and it is continuing to gain speed. And I am here today to invite you all to
come along, and to be part of the Philippine story,” President Aquino said.
President Aquino announced several opportunities
which investors can take advantage of including infrastructure projects via the
public-private partnership program and other ventures in the fields of business
process outsourcing (BPO), shipbuilding, and mining, among others.
“We will be putting up more projects for bidding
in our Public-Private Partnership program. Right now, there are around 21
projects in the pipeline, including the water supply project of the
Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System worth 25 billion pesos,” the
President said.
“Knowing just how many infrastructure builders
and investors are here in Australia, might I invite all of you to study these
projects, and, if the shoe fits, to work with us for our mutual benefit,” he
added.
Recognizing that the BPO sector in the country
has been the “force that has buoyed the Philippine economy” for the past decade
or so, the President vowed that his administration will keep working to provide
industries the talent they need to continue and even expand their operations.
“Our ambition for our BPO sector is for it to be
the world’s number one --not just in Voice BPO, but in other services higher up
the value chain as well. I believe our workers have the talent to do it, and I
invite your companies to come over and be part of it,” he said.
There are also opportunities in shipbuilding
investments in the country especially after the President’s meeting with
Austal, an Australian company which already has operations in the Philippines
that specializes in the design and construction of aluminum vessels, earlier in
the day.
“Considering our skilled work force and the
sheer amount of coastline we have, perhaps it comes as no surprise that we have
the fourth largest shipbuilding industry in the world. I know that Austal has
already made some investments in Cebu, and we are hoping for even more in the
future,” he said.
President Aquino, also reiterated the potential
of the mining industry in the Philippines given the estimated untapped mineral
wealth amounting to 951 billion dollars. He said the Philippines wishes to take
advantage of this wealth in the most equitable and environmentally -friendly
manner.
“The issuance of Executive Order 79 earlier this
year, which laid out the legal framework under which mining can be practiced in
the Philippines, is putting an end to years where mining was often seen as an
environmentally harmful and socially unacceptable industry,” the President
said.
“Soon, we expect a bill to be passed through
Congress that will make sure that the benefits of mining will be experienced,
in an equitable manner, by all stakeholders —from the investors, to the
government, and to current and future generations of Filipinos,” he said.
According to the President, mining is an
industry that is worth looking into, especially for Australian mining
companies, who have the size, expertise, and global best practices to take on
large, long-term developmental projects in the Philippines.
“Truly, opportunities abound in the Philippines.
As President, I encourage all of you to ride the wave of optimism —to get on
the next flight to our country, and to discover for yourselves what the
Filipino can offer,” the President said.
“The first step can start right here, right now.
I look forward to the contacts to be made between yourselves and my economic
team. You will find them sensible, sincere, and efficient, and I believe they
will do a good job in convincing you that it is not just more fun in the
Philippines, but also more profitable,” he concluded. PND (hdc)
Aquino government eyes for an effective organic
act in 2015
The
government is looking at an organic act by 2015 that will create a new
autonomous region in Mindanao to achieve a lasting peace in the region,
President Benigno S. Aquino III said in a business forum in Sydney, Australia
on Thursday.
During
the forum held at Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney, the President said his
administration has set a very tight deadline to realize the new autonomous
entity in Mindanao.
The
organic act must be enacted into law by 2015, the President said, noting that
the draft will come from the Bangsamoro. This has to pass Congress and approved
by the people in a plebiscite.
The Chief
Executive said he hopes to install the new government with a mandate after the
2016 elections. He also foresees an interim authority governing from 2015 to
2016.
To
achieve lasting regional peace, the President acknowledged the need for a
thorough political reform in Mindanao particularly in the autonomous area.
There are
proposals for the inclusion in the new organic act of the designation of a
chief minister who will be responsible to a committee composed of several
stakeholders in the region. This will serve as an automatic check and balance
to prevent abuse of power of the governing officials, the President said.
The
President also expressed high hopes for Mindanao saying that there are
proposals to build infrastructures to connect the region with Luzon using a
nautical highway by cutting down the travel time from three days to 15 hours.
According
to the President, the national government is committing between P20 to P21
billion for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) this year.
The money
is allocated to provide for the infrastructure development, livelihood
opportunities, and investments in the human resource that translates into
education and health services, he stressed.
The
government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed last week the Framework
Agreement for Mindanao, which sets the parameters for a new autonomous region
with the ultimate goal of ending 40 years of Muslim separatism in the south.
PND (as/2:37pm)
President Aquino
remains committed to push country’s economic growth with minimal
political risk
President
Benigno S. Aquino IIII remains committed to push for the country's economic
growth in a solid upward trajectory by minimizing political risks.
The
government has taken significant steps to achieve its goal to further improve
the country's business climate, the Chief Executive said during a business
forum in Australia on Thursday.
"We
have taken the necessary steps to ensure that the goal of minimizing political
risks does happen," President Aquino said.
"The
very first promise I made to our countrymen was to provide jobs. And previously
businesses that came into the country were, if you were to use an analogy, they
were made to jump through several hoops and a lot of the hoops were very
unnecessary," he said.
To
fulfill his promise, the President said that he has to confront the many
dimensions of commercial and political risks to entice business entities to
come to the Philippines to invest.
"One
of the ways by which we can do this is if needed they can go to MIGA ---which
stands for Multilateral Investment Guarantee ---which is a subsidiary of the
World Bank," the President said.
"Now, again, we cannot commit future
legislatures to a particular limitation of their powers ---because they are a
co-equal branch.We don’t expect, or we do suspect that they will be changing
policies, because that is the center point of our guide to improve the business
conditions in our country, ---and that is to provide a stable environment for
policy, ---clear cut regulations," he said.
President
Aquino also announced several opportunities that investors can take advantage
of, including infrastructure projects via the public-private partnership
program and other ventures in the fields of business process outsourcing (BPO),
shipbuilding, and mining, among others. PND (js)
Philippines, Australia strengthen economic
relationship
CANBERRA,
Australia: Philippines and Australia have strengthened their economic
relationship and regional partnership following the recently concluded
bilateral meeting between visiting President Benigno S. Aquino III and Prime
Minister Julia Gillard.
In a joint statement issued after a meeting at
the Parliament House last Wednesday, President Aquino and Prime Minister
Gillard shared the objective of increasing two-way trade and investment flows
and agreed on the importance of a stable and predictable regulatory
environment.
“The leaders agreed that the economic
relationship between Australia and the Philippines holds great promise,
building on the strong foundation provided by the Agreement Establishing the
ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area,” the joint statement said.
Prime Minister Gillard acknowledged President
Aquino’s reform agenda to promote good governance, transparency and
accountability in government as they agreed to continue working in regional and
multilateral forums to advance regional economic integration and resist trade
protectionism.
Both leaders have also discussed the potential
of the mining sector to the Philippines’ development though there were no
significant investment commitments made yet since the Philippines is still
under the process of clearing out its mining rules and regulations.
“We haven’t actually quantified yet what kind of
investments we expect to get from mining right now. What we told them and what
they understand is that we have not put in place the rules (yet),” Presidential
Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ramon Carandang
told a press briefing here.
Prime Minister Gillard described the mining
industry’s role in Australia’s economic success, its leadership in
environmentally sustainable and socially responsible mining, and the
contribution Australian companies could make in the responsible development of
the Philippine mining sector, particularly the development of Mindanao.
The Australian leader also welcomed President
Aquino’s recent announcement that the Philippines will apply to join the
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. They also noted the development
cooperation activities provided by Australia that will support responsible
mining in the Philippines.
A recent agreement to extend Australian market
access for Philippine mangoes was also announced by Prime Minister Gillard
which will be welcomed equally by Australian consumers and mango growers in the
Philippines.
Prime Minister Gillard and President Aquino also
witnessed the signing of a new Air Services Agreement between Australia and the
Philippines which will help lay the groundwork for increased trade and people
to people links.
Both
leaders also welcomed the recent entry into force of the Status of Visiting
Forces Agreement between Australia and the Philippines as well as the recent
signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Combating Transnational Crime and
Developing Police Cooperation between the Australian Federal Police and the
Philippine National Police.
“The leaders noted the high level of cooperation
between Australia and the Philippines on counter-terrorism,” the joint
statement said.
Prime Minister Gillard also expressed
appreciation for the Philippines’ strong support for Australia’s United Nations
Security Council bid. She and President Aquino likewise agreed to increase
collaboration in regional and global forums.
The two leaders underlined the importance of a
successful East Asia Leaders’ Summit in November 2012, including discussion of
political and security issues. Both leaders noted that the Philippines is the
country coordinator for ASEAN-Australia dialogue for the next three years.
On the issue of the South China Sea, the
Australian government shied away from taking a position on competing
territorial claims but vouched for the Philippines’ view to settle the dispute
through a rules-based multilateral approach.
“Prime Minister Gillard noted that Australia did
not take a position on competing territorial claims, but called on claimant
governments to clarify and pursue their territorial claims in accordance with
international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” the
joint statement said.
“President Aquino stressed that peace and
stability in the region is a concern of all states and that central to this is
a rules-based approach in addressing issues in accordance with international
law. Both leaders recognized the need for governments to exercise restraint and
refrain from actions that could further increase tensions. The two leaders
encouraged ASEAN countries and China to conclude a regional Code of Conduct in
the South China Sea at an early date," continued the statement.
In conclusion, both President Aquino and Prime Minister
Gillard expressed satisfaction with the two countries’ strong government to
government relations underpinned by their close and growing people-to-people
ties.
Filipinos are one of the fastest growing
immigrant communities in Australia, with some 225,000 currently living in
Australia, making an important contribution to the Australian economy and
society. In addition, some 6000 Filipino students are currently enrolled across
all sectors of the Australian education system, according to the statement.
The two leaders welcomed their deepening and
broadening partnership that would further enhance already strong bilateral,
regional and multilateral cooperation on shared strategic interests.
They also welcomed the inaugural bilateral
Strategic Dialogue held in October 2012 and agreed to consider ways to further
deepen and broaden the political, security, economic, and people-to-people
relationship.
Lastly, the two Leaders welcomed recent
high-level bilateral engagements and visits, including the visit to the
Philippines by Australia’s Governor-General Quentin Bryce AC CVO, and the
visits to Australia by a number of Philippine Cabinet Secretaries. PND (hdc)
