President Aquino visits Compostela Valley and
other disaster-affected areas wrought by typhoon ‘Pablo’; oversees ongoing
search, rescue and relief efforts
President Benigno S. Aquino III said the
government is beefing up its disaster response operations to find and rescue
the missing residents in disaster-affected areas in Mindanao following the
devastation wrought by typhoon "Pablo."
The Chief Executive visited the Compostela
Valley and other disaster-affected areas to oversee the search and rescue, relief
and rehabilitation efforts there. He was accompanied by Interior and Local
Government Secretary Manuel Roxas, Transportation and Communications Secretary
Joseph Emilio Abaya, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman
and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive
director Benito Ramos
"Nandito ho kami para malaman—importante sa
akin—number one, ang ating mga nawawala, iyong missing. Gusto kong ma-account
kung mayroon po (missing)—kung puwede lahat buhay pa, maabutan natin as soon as
possible," President Aquino told the crowd gathered in Brgy. Cabinuan, New
Bataan, Compostela Valley.
"Gusto kong malaman kung bakit nangyari ang
trahedyang ito. Gusto kong makita rin kung paano maiiwasan ang magkaroon ng
ganitong trahedya ulit. Pero siyempre ho kailangang maasikaso lahat ng
nabubuhay, kaya nandito kami ngayong araw na ito. Masigurado ring ang gobyerno
ay talagang naglilingkod sa inyong lahat," he said.
President Aquino is also closely monitoring the
government’s response for the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts to
immediately bring back to normal the lives of the residents who were greatly
affected by the devastation.
"Nandito ako para makinig (at) gusto kong
malaman lahat ang sagot doon sa mga katanungang pumapalibot sa aking isipan.
Gusto ko lang iwan sa inyo na hindi titigil ang pamahalaan niyo na manigurado
na pagandahin ang buhay niyo at iwasan ang ganitong klaseng sakuna," he
said.
The government agencies concerned with disaster
response were already mobilized to assist the affected communities as part of
the efforts to mitigate the impact of the typhoon, the President noted.
"Hindi ho ako kuntento, kailangan talaga
habulin natin na walang masasalanta tuwing may sasapit na ganitong pagkakataon,"
he said.
The President also called on the people to
cooperate with the government in rebuilding the lives of the typhoon victims.
"Makipagtulungan po tayo sa ating gobyerno
at ilalagay namin kayo sa mas maayos na kalagayan sa lalong madaling
panahon," he said. PND (js)
President Aquino creates the National Organizing
Council for the Philippine hosting of the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation meetings
President Benigno S. Aquino III has created the
National Organizing Council for the Philippine hosting of the 2015 Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings.
The Chief Executive issued the directive by
virtue of Administrative Order No. 36 (series 2012) signed by Executive
Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on November 28.
President Aquino said the Philippines, which
remains committed to the continued growth and development of the Asia-Pacific
region through close and meaningful cooperation with the countries in the
region, continues to be an active member-economy of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC).
The Philippine Council for Regional Cooperation
(PCRC) was created by the President under Administrative Order No. 20 (s.
2011), to upgrade and reinforce inter-agency coordination in the formulation
and consolidation of all positions and strategies of the Philippines as it
participates in APEC and all other regional and inter-regional organizations
and fora.
"The Philippines has agreed to host the
2015 APEC annual meetings, which include the APEC Senior Officials Meeting and
Related Meetings, the APEC Ministerial and Sectoral Ministerial Meetings, and
the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting," President Aquino said.
In issuing the Administrative Order No. 36, the
President noted that there is a need to constitute a separate National
Organizing Council (NOC) to manage and supervise all tasks and activities
related to the Philippine hosting of APEC in 2015 and ensure a successful
Philippine hosting.
The APEC-NOC is composed of the Executive
Secretary as chairperson, Secretary of Foreign Affairs as co-chairperson,
Co-Chairperson and Secretary of Trade and Industry, Director-General of the
National Economic and Development Authority, Secretary of Budget and
Management, Secretary of Finance, Secretary of Transportation and
Communications, Secretary of Tourism, Secretary of Public Works and Highways,
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, Secretary of National Defense,
Cabinet Secretary, Secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations
Office (PCOO), Secretary of the Presidential Communications Development and
Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO), National Security Adviser, Head of the
Presidential Management Staff (PMS), Chairperson of the Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP) and Chairperson of the APEC 2015 – Private Sector Advisory
Council (APSAC) as members.
The Local Chief Executives of the Local
Government Units (LGUs) selected to serve as the site of the APEC 2015 meetings
may be invited as Special Members of the APEC-NOC and the APEC 2015 Committees.
"The APEC-NOC Chairperson and the APEC 2015
Committee Heads may require the participation of the heads of other departments
and/or agencies, government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), and
invite LGUs, representatives from the private sector, and the academe, as may
be deemed necessary," the President said.
The administrative order also prescribed the
authority and functions of the APEC-NOC.
The APEC-NOC shall approve and recommend to the
President a Master Plan for the Philippine hosting of APEC in 2015, including
an estimated budget for the APEC meetings. It shall issue administrative
guidelines and instructions as may be necessary to achieve the objectives of
this administrative order..
It shall perform any and all acts and functions
as may be deemed appropriate and necessary to ensure the proper functioning of
the APEC-NOC, the Executive Committee, and the Committees, to advance the
purposes of this administrative order, and to ensure the successful hosting of
APEC in 2015.
It shall submit periodic reports to the
President throughout the duration of the APEC 2015 Hosting. The APEC-NOC
Chairperson shall convene the meetings of the APEC-NOC regularly and as often
as may be necessary to ensure proper coordination and implementation of the
2015 Hosting Master Plan and the individual Work Plans of its committees.
"An Executive Committee shall be
established to serve as the full-time, day-to-day operations arm of the
APEC-NOC to ensure that the programs, projects, and activities to be undertaken
in preparation for the Philippine hosting of APEC in 2015 shall run continuously,
smoothly, efficiently, and effectively," the President said.
The President, likewise, ordered the
establishment of the APEC 2015 Committees to assist the APEC-NOC.
The APEC-NOC shall approve and recommend to the
President a Master Plan for the Philippine hosting of APEC in 2015, including
an estimated budget for the meetings, within sixty (60) days from the issuance
of the AO No. 36.
"Financial requirements that may be needed
by the APEC-NOC for fiscal years 2012 and 2013 shall be charged against the
available savings of the concerned agencies involved in this administrative
order and/or shall be taken from any available sources as may be identified by
DBM," the President said.
"Appropriations for fiscal years 2014 and
2015 shall be incorporated in the budget proposals under the International
Commitments Fund," he added.
This administrative order shall take effect
immediately, and shall remain in full force and effect until December 31,
2015. PND (js)
President Aquino names University of the
Philippines Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer as the new government peace panel
chief negotiator
President Benigno S. Aquino has appointed
University of the Philippines (UP) Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer as the new
chairperson and chief negotiator of the Government of the Philippines (GPH)
peace panel, a Palace official announced on Friday.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said
that Professor Coronel-Ferrer was named as the successor of Mario Victor F.
Leonen who was appointed by President Aquino as Associate Justice of the
Supreme Court (SC) last November.
Prof. Coronel-Ferrer is a professor of Political
Science at the UP where she teaches comparative politics and political theory.
She was director of the UP Third World Studies Center from 2000 to 2003 and
deputy director from 1995 to 1998.
She also convened the Program on Peace,
Democratization, and Human Rights of the UP Center for Integrative and
Development Studies until 2005. Beginning in July 2010, she joined the
Government Negotiating Panel for Talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Prof. Coronel-Ferrer co-chaired the Non-State
Actors Working Group of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines from
1999-2004. She joined fact-finding missions organized by international NGOs
investigating violence in Cambodia (1993, 1997), East Timor (1999, 2000), and
Nepal (2003). She was one of 27 Filipinas who are part of the “1000 Women for
the Nobel,” nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
She also served as visiting professor at Hiroshima
University in Japan, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Korea, and Gadja
Madah University in Indonesia; and had written several articles on Philippine
civil society, politics, regional autonomy and peace processes in international
and local journals and books. PND (js)
Government agencies assure President Aquino of
sufficient supply of potable water in calamity areas
Concerned government agencies has assured
President Benigno S. Aquino III of enough supply of potable water as well as
the immediate installation of water purifiers in affected communities in areas
devastated by Typhoon Pablo in Mindanao.
In a briefing by the National Disaster Risk
Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) held at the Davao International Airport,
Executive Director Benito Ramos said the Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority (MMDA) has already sent potable water in New Bataan, Compostela Valley.
Potable water supply from Manila Water is also
arriving tomorrow. Albay is also giving water to the typhoon victims.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD) will coordinate where to locate the water supplies for easy access of
the people, Secretary Dinky Soliman told the President during the briefing.
However, while the people are waiting for the
supply of clean water, the Department of Health has already distributed
chlorine tablets, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said.
The DOH is also distributing medicines to
affected areas, although Ona admitted there are some problems in distributing
medicines because many devastated areas are still inaccessible at this time. He
made an assurance however that the supply of medicines is more than adequate.
The President said he expects government
agencies to report to him the deployment of water purifiers in the affected
areas to ensure that residents are given clean supply of water.
Ramos said the Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI) is also doing price monitoring in coordination with the Philippine
National Police to prevent traders from jacking up their prices.
At the same time, the government is also
spearheading a “Diskuwento Caravan” on Saturday to provide the people with
affordable basic necessities. The caravan is scheduled to go to New Bataan
tomorrow and on December 11 it will service the municipality of Boston in Davao
Oriental.
The government has tied up with manufacturers
that vowed to assist affected communities by selling at discounted prices. PND
(as)
Aquino orders thorough study of Mindanao
devastation
President Benigno S. Aquino III ordered the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of
Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to
investigate the devastation caused by Typhoon Pablo to prevent further loss of
lives in the future.
The President said during media interview at
Davao International Airport that his aim is to minimize if not eliminate the
large number casualties during calamities.
Typhoons, arriving in the country is a yearly
occurrence and the government must have an effective disaster plan to limit the
effects of typhoons to the general population, he said.
“I’d like to get to the point na sigurado ang
mga Pilipino na mabibigyan siya ng timely information, meron siyang malilikasan
na lugar para mailayo sa panganib, at mabawasan, kung hindi tuluyang mawala,
ang mga nawawalang Pilipino kada merong natural disaster,” the President said.
In New Bataan, Compostela Valley, for instance,
the President said he observed during that the town has absorbed so much water.
Although there was an evacuation supposedly to safer grounds, he said the
residents were relocated to low-lying ground in the foot of mountains, making
them vulnerable to flashfloods.
The local government could have a better
evacuation location and should chose an area on higher grounds, he said.
“We could have probably designed it na hindi
ganoon ang evacuation center. But I want a concrete basis of what had happened
and I want less and less dangers for the Filipinos,” he said.
In Boston, Davao Oriental, the President likened
the town to an area that suffered from a nuclear attack because of the absence
of remaining structures.
He proposed rebuilding the town, not exactly
along the coast. Boston must be rebuilt behind the hills that will provide a
natural barrier for any strong winds that might come in the future, he said.
Part of the DILG-DOJ-DENR study is geo-hazard
mapping to assess which locations are vulnerable to flashfloods and landslides,
the chief executive said.
There must be scientific basis in assessing
future natural disturbances particularly the amount of rain falling in a
particular locality, he said.
The President wants to know whether there are
lapses in planning that resulted to large number of casualties in those areas.
He also asked government agencies to improve the process of disseminating
understandable information to the public. PND (as)
President Aquino wants centralized relief and
search efforts in typhoon-affected areas
President Benigno S. Aquino III said he wants a
more centralized effort in providing relief assistance to typhoons victims in
Mindanao, as well as in the search and rescue of those who remain missing.
The President said the government must maximize
its operations in transporting relief goods and in rescuing people who remain
unaccounted. While the government cares for the survivors, it must also work to
find those who were still missing, he said.
“Sa nakita kong kakulangan doon, sinabihan natin
si Major General George Segovia na mag-head, mag-coordinate sa lahat ng
probinsyang apektado at ang kanilang mga disaster management councils para
masigurado na lahat ng communities ay naimbentaryo na natin at maitaas ‘yung
probability na kung may makita tayong mga survivors ay mapuntahan ng search and
rescue teams sa lalong madaling panahon,” the President said during a media
interview at Davao International Airport on Friday.
“Anything made by man will always be imperfect.
But that shouldn’t stop us from trying to achieve perfection. So we have
deployed roughly about half of the helicopter assets of the air force to these
operations,”
K-9 teams will also be arriving Saturday to
assist in the search and rescue operations, the President said. The military is
also repositioning its forces within Mindanao to concentrate on finding
survivors, he added.
The number of missing is still very high and
authorities aren’t sure whether it is the complete number because nobody has
made a thorough assessment of all the affected communities, the President said.
The President visited hard-hit areas in
Mindanao, particularly New Bataan in Compostela Valley and Boston town in Davao
Oriental. Prior to his departure to Manila, the President was briefed in Davao
about the ongoing search and relief operations by the government. PND (as)
Government to temporarily rebuild
infrastructures damaged by typhoon Pablo, says President Aquino
The government targets to rebuild damaged
infrastructures in typhoon-ravaged areas in Mindanao by Tuesday next week,
President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Friday.
In a media interview at the Davao International
Airport, the President said Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson
assessed the infrastructure damage to be around P930 million.
The government’s calamity fund is over P4
billion, the chief executive said.
“I will repeat, accessible lahat by next week.
Ang mga temporary na ginagawa magiging permanent. Ang major problem lang so far
is CARAGA bridge because almost half of it, or half of the span is lost,” the
President said.
CARAGA bridge is a 17-span bridge and because of
the debris, seven panels collapsed at the height of the typhoon, the President
said.
“This will be the one that will take the longest
to repair, as seven of the 17 spans was damaged,” he said.
The Department of Public Works and Highways will
not only replace the lost spans but will redesign the bridge higher to prevent
logs and other debris from clogging the bridge, the President said.
“We will raise the elevation of the bridge to
prevent a recurrence… all of the debris... in effect logs under the bridge
destroyed the spans,” he said.
Repairing roads and bridges is necessary so that
relief goods, water and medicines could reach isolated communities following
Typhoon Pablo’s destruction. PND (as)
