Aquino receives credentials of new ambassador of
The Netherlands to the Philippines
President Benigno S. Aquino III received the
incoming envoy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands who submitted his credentials
upon assuming his official tour of duty as ambassador to the Philippines.
In simple ceremonies at the Music Room of the
Malacanang Palace on Thursday, His Excellency Gijsbert Anton Boon Von Ochssee,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary met with President Aquino to
express the greetings and best wishes of the people of The Netherlands.
In return, the Chief Executive welcomed the
Dutch envoy as he noted the long-standing relations between the two countries.
Ambassador Ton Boon von Ochssée replaced Ambassador
Robert Gerard Brinks who was awarded the Order of Sikatuna by President Aquino
last August in recognition of his valuable works in pursuing beneficial
programs for both the people of The Netherlands and the Philippines.
The Philippines and The Netherlands have been
enjoying close relations since 1598 when a Dutch naval merchant fleet entered
the Philippine waters for the first time. Over time, this relationship has
flourished and today the Dutch are present in the Philippines in many different
ways.
Dutch companies, both large multinationals and
small and medium enterprises have strongly contributed to trade and commercial
ties and nurtured links between the two countries.
At
present, Dutch companies operate within a wide range of sectors, among these
are in agriculture, shipping and maritime services, information technology and
energy supply. Equally important are the people-to-people contacts, the
activities of several Dutch Non-Government Organizations and the initiatives of
many private Dutch organizations and citizens working closely with the
disadvantaged groups in Philippine society. PND (jcl/12:03 p.m.)
President Aquino receives credentials of new
Korean envoy in Malacanang
President Benigno S. Aquino III received the
credential of His Excellency Lee Hyuk as the new Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines in a ceremony at
Malacanang Palace on Thursday.
The new Korean Ambassador and his party were
welcomed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario at the Music Room of
Malacanang Palace.
.
Ambassador Lee was accompanied by Min Kyong Ho,
Minister and Consul General; Colonel Kim Yi Kon, Defense Attache; Lim Jae Joon,
Economic Counsellor and Kweon Ki Hwan, Political Counsellor
After presenting his credentials, Ambassador Lee
wished President Aquino well as he thanked him for welcoming him to the
country. He reiterated his country's commitment to enhance the foundation of
friendly bilateral relations with the Philippines.
Ambassador Lee replaced Lee Hye Min who received
the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu (Grand Cross, Gold Distinction)
during his farewell call ceremony in Malacanang last September 3.
No less than President Benigno S. Aquino III,
himself, conferred the Order of Sikatuna on Ambassador Lee Hye Min and cited
him for his contribution in the field of international relations.
During his tour of duty to the Philippines,
Ambassador Lee Hye Min was commended for his significant contribution in
setting up the P150-M modern rice processing facility in Iloilo to help
stabilize the rice supply in the country. The facility was inaugurated last
March. PND (js)
Malacañang attributes new record high set by
Philippine Stock Exchange index to ‘continuing investor confidence'
Malacañang said on Thursday said that the new
record high set by the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) was due to the
continued investor confidence in the economy’s growth under the administration
of President Benigno S. Aquino III.
“The stock markets recent record again reflects
the continuing investor confidence in the economy,” Presidential Spokesperson
Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
He expressed confidence that the economy would
further bloom until the end of the year as “we expect greater infrastructure
spending towards the end and the remainder of the year.”
“And also our tourism, BPO (business process
outsourcing) and growth sectors continue to improve,” Lacierda said.
The PSEi closed at a new record high on
Wednesday at 5,375.52, up 26.84 points surpassing the July 5 record close at
5,369.98.
To date, the PSEi has breached new record highs
by a total of 22 times. PND (rck)
Government websites protected from cyber
attacks, says Coloma
Government websites remain protected from
cyber attacks in the midst of threats from hackers enraged by the imposition of
the Cybercrime Prevention Act, Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement on Thursday.
“We continue to adopt appropriate security
measures to ensure the integrity of our websites,” Coloma said in a statement
in response to reports saying government sites were attacked.
Coloma also made clarifications over reports
that said that the Office of the President (www.president.gov.ph) website
became inaccessible to the public as of 7:50 p.m. Wednesday, with visitors
getting an error message.
The President’s website has undergone a
scheduled systems maintenance that lasted for about five hours in the morning
of October 3, he said, explaining that during this period, Facebook fans and
Twitter followers of the President were duly re-directed and were able to use
these social media channels without any interruption.
Coloma also said that other government websites,
haven’t been hacked or defaced since last week, contrary to reports that said
Philippine Information Agency website was attacked.
“There was no actual defacement of the PIA
website and at no time was there a service disruption. In the morning of 2
October, a hacker apparently got into the personal email account of one of the
online editors and inserted a link that appeared in one of the posted stories,”
Coloma said adding that the specific issue was immediately addressed.
There were reports that also said hackers had
attacked several government sites Wednesday, the first day the Cybercrime
Prevention Act took effect.
Several groups had questioned or opposed the new
law, saying that particular provisions on online libel may threaten the
public’s right to freedom of speech. PND (as/1:42pm)
