President Aquino offers administration’s
anti-corruption policies to participants of global convention on
anti-corruption as ‘basis for change’
President
Benigno S. Aquino III offered his administration’s policies on combating
corruption from which participants attending a global convention on
anti-corruption in Manila could draw insights, lessons and first-hand knowledge
on how to stem this global cancer from spreading and become the “basis of
change” in their respective home countries.
Speaking
before 500 attendees to the 5th Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against
Corruption (GOPAC) during its opening ceremony at the Philippine International
Convention Center in Pasay City on Thursday, President Aquino highlighted the
importance of attacking corruption “strategically” and “always with the
long-term in mind” in order “to usher in an enduring mainstream of good, honest
governance.”
“The
problem of corruption must thus be approached strategically, always with the
long-term in mind. Reforms cannot be mere blips in the radar—they must usher in
an enduring mainstream of good, honest governance,” the President said.
“Only
through legislation can the bedrock of inclusiveness and positive, meaningful
change be set. As parliamentarians, this is your task, and perhaps you will be
interested in the policies that have gotten us to where we are now, and which
can also form the basis of change in your respective home countries,” he added.
Among
these policies which government agencies such as the Department of Public Works
and Highways, the Metro Manila Development Authority, the Department of Social
Welfare and Development, the Technical Educational Skills Development
Authority, and other key agencies have started implementing include the strict
adherence to bidding procedures and thorough negotiations to lower the cost of
projects; establishing internal measures or offices to police themselves;
implementing a “zero-base budgeting system,” to ensure that the money our
agencies spend on their projects will yield the best equivalent benefit to our
countrymen; and adopting a full disclosure policy on government financial
activities.
“While
policy formulation can at times be a complex matter, the overarching idea
behind our efforts is simple: To put the people front and center in any agenda,
and to go back to the basics of public service; in short, to do the right
thing,” the President said.
He
pointed out that through the hosting of the GOPAC, the Philippines will march
on with its campaign to weed out corruption and graft within its ranks and end
the desire of those who only wish “to establish, or maintain, an undeserved
upper hand over the common citizen.”
“Today,
we are forming a more cohesive force against corruption; and the more we share
our ideas, the more we listen to one another—the sooner we will achieve our
goal of eliminating corruption and reforming the system for the benefit of our
people,” the President said.
“It is
now up to us to reach out to the most cynical of our people and show them that
here is a group of people working past geographical boundaries, convinced that,
if each and every one of us works towards a better world, then it is possible
to push human civilization into its next great chapter—an era of honesty,
transparency, inclusiveness, and genuine people empowerment,” he added. PND
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Malacanang elated over 6.8 percent growth of
Gross Domestic Product in fourth quarter of 2012
Malacanang welcomed reports that the
Philippine economy grew by 6.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, assuring
that the Aquino government will continue to work even harder to maintain the
economy’s upward trajectory, a Palace official said.
Presidential
Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda issued the statement during the regular press
briefing in Malacanang on Thursday following reports that the country’s Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 6.8 percent due to the robust performance of the
services sector led by trade and real estate, renting and business activities
as well as the substantial improvements in manufacturing and construction.
"The
Philippine economy grew by 6.8 percent in the 4th quarter of 2012, bringing
full-year growth for 2012 to 6.6 percent. This is higher than the government’s
official target of 5 to 6 percent," Lacierda said.
"What is particularly important to note
is that while growth was initially driven by government stimulus, it is now
being increasingly driven by private sector activity, including investments,
which grew by 8.7 percent in 2012. This means growth is becoming more
sustainable from a fiscal and macroeconomic perspective," Lacierda noted.
Lacierda
said the continued growth of the GDP is proof of the country's ability to
sustain a united march towards equitable progress.
"Private sector activity has been enabled
by the Aquino administration’s dedication to positive reform. Without doubt,
good governance means good economics," Lacierda stressed.
"The
administration’s vision for the economy has always been to ignite a virtuous
cycle of growth and empowerment—to enable business and enterprise to flourish;
to open doors of opportunity for each citizen; and to invest in them so that
they can truly take hold of their own destinies," he said. PND (js)
Aquino appoints Mehol Sadain as member of
government negotiating team with MILF
President
Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III designated lawyer Mehol Sadain as member of the
government panel for peace talks with the Moro Islamic Front (MILF).
The
Aquino government signed with the Muslim rebels the Framework Agreement for
Mindanao peace last year.
Sadain
filled the post vacated by Miriam Coronel-Ferrer who became chair of the peace
panel. Its former head, Marvic Leonen became an associate justice of the
Supreme Court.
Sadain
was appointed previously by President Aquino in April 2012 as secretary/chief
executive officer of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos and also as
amirul hajj, the head of the Philippine Hajj Mission for Hajj 2012.
A former
commissioner of the Commission on Elections, Sadain was born on December 24,
1955 in San Raymundo, Jolo, Sulu.
After
completing his basic education in Mindanao, Sadain graduated Bachelor of Arts
in Islamic Studies from the Institute of Islamic Studies of the University of
the Philippines in 1978.
He
studied law also in UP, and ranked 16th in UP’s law class of 1986. Sadain also
completed the Shari’ah Training Course sponsored by the Office on Muslim
Affairs in 1992 also in UP.
Prior to
his post in government, Sadain was a lecturer at the UP College of Law. PND
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Palace: President’s Switzerland trip, a worthy long-term
investment
The money
spent for President Benigno S. Aquino III’s trip to Switzerland to to join
other leaders for the World Economic Forum is a small price to pay for all of
the expected influx of investments in the Philippines, the Palace said on
Thursday.
“This was
an event that highlighted what the Philippines has been doing. From the very
start, it was not meant to bring dollars and cents. It was an opportunity for
us to showcase the Philippines and the President is our salesman in showcasing
what the Philippines has been doing; the reforms we have undertaken,”
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press conference in Malacanang
on Thursday.
Lacierda
was responding to questions whether the P49 million spent by the government for
the President’s attendance to the World Economic Forum was worth it.
Lacierda
said the President’s trip was a long-term investment for the Philippines and
while the government spent money for such efforts, the country could reap its
economic benefits in the future.
“Para
tayong magsasaka, we’re planting the seeds right now, knowing that in the
future there will be a harvest,” he explained.
The forum
in Davos is a conference of ideas, he said. Participating countries share ideas
and the President seized the opportunity to showcase what is currently
happening in the Philippines so that investors will notice and put their
investments in the country, he said.
The
President highlighted the Philippine efforts on good governance which
translates to good economics, Lacierda said noting that the country has been
doing the right thing, and the administration will continue its thrust on good
governance and poverty alleviation.
The
President’s message was positively perceived by the global business leaders who
attended the forum, the Palace official said.
There is
renewed interest among companies to put their money in the Philippines and for
those who already have operations here, they took pride for having invested in
the Philippines, Lacierda said.
“There’s
some sense of pride for those businesses who have invested here, and for those
who have not invested in the Philippines yet, they have called on their
business units and told them, ‘Look at the Philippines, look at what they are
doing; we would like to have some presence there,’” he said.
“So, these
things that we have done, and primarily, the CEOs were able to see the
President in action in how he conveyed his sincerity and his seriousness in
good governance.”
Among the
Philippine high-level chief executive officers (CEOs) who were present during
the forum where the Zobel de Ayala brothers and Tony Tan Caktiong, Lacierda
said. PND (as)
Aquino appoints new officials in the Judiciary
and other government agencies
President
Benigno S. Aquino III has appointed new officials in the Judiciary and other
government agencies, a Palace official said.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda
announced the appointments during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on
Thursday.
The Chief
Executive signed the appointment letters of Virgilio S. Almario as Commission
on the Filipino Language Chairman and Full-time Commissioner, representing
Tagalog Language; Purificacion G. De Lima as Full-time Commissioner,
representing the Ilokano Language and Jerry B. Gracio as Full-time
Commissioner, representing the Samar-Leyte languages.
President
Aquino, likewise, signed the appointment letters of Abdon M. Balde Jr. as
Part-time Commissioner, representing the Bikol language; Noriam H. Ladjagais as
Part-time Commissioner, representing Muslim Mindanao languages; Orlando B.
Magno as Part-time Commissioner, representing Cebuano languages; and Jimmy B.
Fong as Part-time Commissioner, representing languages of Northern Cultural
Communities.
The other
presidential appointees are the following:
- Judge
Beatrice Alvarez Caunan-Medina as presiding judge of San Mateo, Rizal Regional
Trial Court Branch 75.
- Judge
Emmanuel R. Recalde as presiding judge of Boac, Marinduque RTC Branch 38
- Judge
Redan A. Acal as presiding judge of Cervantes-Quirino, Ilocos Sur 10th
Municipal Trial Court (MTC)
- Judge
Jesse P. Cabrillos as presiding judge of Balaoan, La Union MTC
- Judge
Maria Celestina De Mayo Cabaguio as presiding judge of Candon City, Ilocos Sur
Municipal Trial Court in Cities
- Judge
Barry Boy A. Salvador as presiding judge of Antipolo City, Rizal Municipal
Trial Court in Cities Branch 1
- Judge
Evangeline Cabochan Santos as presiding judge of Antipolo City, Rizal Municipal
Trial Court in Cities Branch 2
- Mario
A. Deriquito as Undersecretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Lorna
D. Dino as Assistant Secretary of DepEd
-
Ardeliza R. Medenilla as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Department of Public
Works and Highways, and
-
Lilibeth L. Signey as Acting Regional Director of the Bureau of Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources under the Department of Agriculture. PND (js)
