President Aquino to push for OFW rights and energy security in ASEM9
VIENTIANE, Lao People’s Democratic Republic
(via PLDT) --- President Benigno S. Aquino III is expected to push for the
strengthening and protection of overseas Filipino workers’ rights and energy
security when he joins world leaders from Asia and Europe for the 9th
Asia-Europe Meeting that will be held here from November 5 to 6, Philippine
Ambassador to Lao PDR Maria Lumen Isleta said on Friday.
In an
interview, Isleta said that despite the number of items to be discussed between
leaders during the Summit such as climate change and the global economic and
financial crisis, the President will focus on these two priority issues.
“There is
quite a lot of items on the agenda for ASEM9 such as discussions on climate
change, sustainable development, the EuroZone Crisis, economic and financial
crisis but I think for the Philippines the President will want to focus on
priority issues for the Philippines with Europe and this will pertain on migration
and also energy security,” Isleta said.
She said
since a great number of Filipinos have begun to live and work in European
countries, it is only but right that the President bring to European leaders
the importance of protecting their rights and well-being.
In Lao
PDR, Isleta said that there are around 550 OFWs who work in the mining,
education, consultancy, accounting, and medical fields. She said the demand for
Filipino labor is high as Filipinos are highly regarded as hardworking, honest
and friendly.
Aside
from pushing for workers’ protection and energy security, the President will
likewise showcase, during the summit, the reforms he has implemented to fight
corruption and alleviate the lives of the Filipino people as well as his
administration’s accomplishments in good governance and inclusive growth and at
the same time call for an enhanced Asia-Europe economic partnership in the
midst of global economic uncertainties. PND (rck)
Demand for Filipino labor high in Laos
VIENTIANE, Lao People’s Democratic Republic
(via PLDT) --- The demand for Filipino labor here is high and remains high as
Filipinos are highly regarded as a top work force, Philippine Ambassador to Lao
PDR Maria Lumen Isleta underscored on Friday.
She said
the Filipino traits of being hardworking, honest, friendly and dedicated have
proven to be the main factors endearing more and more Filipinos to their
employers.
She said
that the embassy here has documented around 550 overseas Filipino workers who
have chosen to live and work in Laos and is expected to increase over the
coming years as demand for Filipino labor remains high.
She said
a “huge chunk” or majority of OFWs here work in the mining and education sector
while others can be found as accountants, office workers, nurses, consultants,
and engineers.
She said
that while the number of OFWs working in Lao PDR is small compared to other
industrialized countries abroad, Filipino workers are a valued labor force.
“When you
talk to their employers and co-workers, then you see the value that they place
on the Filipino workers who are with them and a common sentiment is that they
are hardworking, honest and friendly,” Isleta said. PND (rck)
Lean delegation accompanies Aquino for 9th Asia
Europe Meeting in Laos
A
61-member delegation will accompany President Benigno S. Aquino III on Sunday
afternoon when he leaves for Laos to attend the 9th Asia Europe Meeting from
November 5 to 6, the Palace said on Saturday.
In a
radio interview over state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential
Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the President and his delegation will depart 1
p.m. Sunday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 via Philippine
Airlines flight PR001.
The
President and his delegation are expected to arrive in Laos at 4:10 p.m.
(Philippine time). Laos’ time is one-hour behind the Philippine time.
Among the
members of the official delegation include Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F.
del Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima, Trade and Industry Secretary
Gregory L. Domingo, outgoing Energy Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras, NEDA
Director General Arsenio M. Balisacan, Presidential Communications Operations
Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., and Philippine Ambassador to Lao People’s
Democratic Republic Maria Lumen B. Isleta
President
Aquino will immediately meet with the members of the Filipino community in Laos
once he arrives in that country on Sunday, Valte said.
“He
really makes it a point to be in touch with the Filipino community whenever he
goes out of the country on official business,” Valte said reacting to reports
saying Filipinos in Laos are eager to see the President.
The
President is expected to exchange views with his counterparts from the two
regions on the Eurozone crisis, trade and investment facilitation, energy and
food security, disaster management, counter-terrorism, migration, and regional
issues during the two-day Summit, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
It is
President Aquino’s first attendance to the ASEM since he assumed office in
2010.
Europe is
the Philippines’ third largest trade partner after North America and Asia with
trade pegged at $13-billion for about 12 percent of Philippine total trade in
2011, the DFA said.
More than
P33-billion investments came from the European Union during the same period,
primarily from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, it
added.
The
President will likewise showcase, during the summit, the reforms that have been
implemented to fight corruption and alleviate the lives of the Filipino people.
The Chief
Executive is also expected to highlight Philippine’ accomplishments in good
governance and inclusive growth and at the same time call for an enhanced
Asia-Europe economic partnership in the midst of global economic uncertainties.
He will
also underscore the importance of upholding the rights of migrant workers,
especially at a time when most European countries are having socio-economic
difficulties.
As of
2011, there are 746,701 Filipinos living and working in Europe, the foreign
affairs department said.
The ASEM
is a dialogue process started in 1996 with the main objective of forging a
comprehensive partnership between Asia and Europe. It is currently composed of
48 partners – all 10 ASEAN countries, 9 other Asian countries, the 27
member-states of the European Union, the European Commission and the ASEAN
Secretariat.
It is the
only forum where Europe and Asia engage one another at the highest levels of
government to discuss international issues of common concern and to formulate
mutually beneficial cooperation on a region-to-region basis.
The
President will return to Manila on November 6, Tuesday. PND (as/12:56pm)
Palace rejects re-imposition of death penalty;
says justice system must first be fixed
Malacanang said it won’t favor the
re-imposition of capital punishment in the country underscoring the need to
reform the Philippine justice system.
Reacting
to calls wanting death penalty be re-imposed, Deputy Presidential spokesperson
Abigail Valte said in a radio interview Saturday over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan that
the President may favor death penalty if there’s an efficient administration of
justice in the country.
Valte was
commenting on the call of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) to
implement death penalty in the country after Cyrish Magalang, an honor student
from the University of Santo Tomas was stabbed to death on her way home. Police
said the victim was stabbed 49 times after being robbed.
There
will be a status quo until such time that the government feels confident that
those who may be sentenced to death are really guilty of the crime that they
are being accused of, Valte said.
And as
the government overhauls the justice system, the Philippine National Police
must continue its strategy in fighting crime in the country, Valte said.
“Ang
strategy ng ating kapulisan ngayon is really to heighten ang kanilang
visibility, itaas ang number ng nagpa-patrol, at bawasan ang man-hours sa desk.
Makikita naman natin na nagkakaroon ito ng epekto in the way na nababawasan ang
mga masasamang loob,” Valte said.
Aside
from combating gruesome killings, the campaign against illegal drugs must also
continue, the Palace official said.
“Dapat
walang letup sa kampanya natin at hindi lang sa kontra droga kundi pati doon sa
kampanya natin to bring down the crime rates. Ang intensiyon naman talaga ng
ating kapulisan ay tuloy-tuloy at walang humpay ang kanilang kampanya para
maiwasan ang mga ganitong krimen,” she said. PND (as/1:24pm)
Malacanang congratulates winners of Mathematics
and Science Olympiad in India
The
Palace extended its congratulatory message on Saturday to the elementary
students who won in the recently concluded 9th International Mathematics and
Science Olympiad in India from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2.
In a
radio interview over government-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential
spokesperson Abigail Valte said the feat achieved by the Philippine team at the
recently concluded math and science tilt must inspire other Filipino students
in their pursuit of academic excellence, especially in the fields of science
and mathematics.
“Sana
ipagpatuloy ninyo ang academic excellence especially in science and math,”
Valte said as she congratulates the winners.
The
Philippine team bagged 23 medals from the tilt held in Lucknow, India, besting
representatives from Taiwan, China, Nepal, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri
Lanka, Nigeria, South Africa, and Singapore.
Shaquille
Wyan Que, 12, of Grace Christian College, topped the Mathematics category. The
Philippine team also won five silvers and six bronzes.
Seven
members of the Philippine delegation earned silver medals in the Science
category, while four took bronze medals. PND (as/1:40pm)
Palace looks for positive United Nations
assessment of country's fight against human trafficking
Malacanang hopes that the Philippines could
get positive review results as the United Nations Special Rapporteur arrives in
Manila Monday to assess the country’s fight against human trafficking.
“We’re
hoping that the development will be positive and that the review will be
positive because we’ve had several positive actions when it comes to our fight
against human trafficking,” Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said
in a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
Valte
said the government has particularly made significant development against
trafficking in women and children primarily through the Inter-Agency Council
Against Trafficking (IACAT). The Philippines got a positive review result in
the last UN Special Rapporteur assessment, she added.
Also,
Valte said that based on their monitoring, the government continues to be
effective in preventing human trafficking syndicates from doing their usual
business.
The New
York-based Human Rights Watch said several countries acknowledged efforts of
the Philippine government to improve human rights, including the ratification
of treaties, the campaign against human trafficking, and training of security
forces. PND (as/2:08pm)
Palace sees travelers’ recognition boosts
tourist arrivals
The
Palace said it hopes a recent travelers’ recognition, citing Luzon, Cebu, and
Mindanao as among Asia’s top ten islands, could boost tourist arrivals in the
Philippines as the government targets higher number of visitors this year.
International travel magazine Conde Nast
Traveler's annual Readers’ Choice Awards considered Luzon, Cebu and Mindanao as
Asia’s top 10 islands.
“Hopefully, this particular review will bring
more tourists to us, not just tourists from abroad but also domestic travelers
natin lalo nitong nakaraang long weekend mukhang marami talagang pumunta hindi
lang doon sa ibang bansa,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said
in a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday.
“It’s
truly more fun in the Philippines. Kung three out of 10, hopefully more
tourists come in,” she added.
It’s
evident that in today’s trend, there’s an increasing number of tourists
visiting the Philippines, the Palace official said as she hopes visitors
discover other beautiful places in the country.
Luzon
trailed Bali, Indonesia and Phuket, Thailand as the third best island in Asia,
with a readers’ choice rating of 78.9, ranking high in the criteria of friendliness,
scenery, and ambience.
Cebu
placed seventh with a score of 75.9, and Mindanao ranked at tenth scoring 62.8.
Other
Asia’s top 10 islands include Hokkaido in Japan, Lombok in Indonesia, Langkawi
in Malaysia, Koh Samui in Thailand, and Borneo in Malaysia.
Three
Philippine hotels also ranked in Southeast Asia’s top 20 hotels—Makati
Shangri-la (5th place), EDSA Shangri-la (7th place), and Manila Hotel (20th
place). PND (as/2:28pm)
