President Aquino appoints Alfredo Benjamin
Sabater-Caguioa as the new Chief Presidential Legal Counsel
President Benigno S. Aquino III has appointed
Alfredo Benjamin Sabater-Caguioa as the new Chief Presidential Legal Counsel.
In his transmittal letter dated January 10,
2013, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. said the Chief Executive signed
the appointment letter of Caguioa, replacing Eduardo V. de Mesa.
Caguioa's term of office is co-terminus with the
appointing authority.
Caguioa graduated Bachelor of Arts (AB
Economics) from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1981. He obtained his
Bachelor of Laws degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1985 and was
admitted to the Bar in 1986.
He is a well-respected and highly-regarded
litigation practitioner with 25 years experience in commercial, civil and
criminal litigations before courts of all levels.
A senior partner at the Caguioa and Gatmaytan
and Associates law firm, Caguioa taught Obligation and Contracts, Property,
Statutory Construction and Administrative Law at the Ateneo de Manila
University School of Law and San Sebastian College of Law. He also served as
lecturer and resource lecturer at the University of the Philippines Law Centre,
Institute of Government and Law Reform from 2003 until 2006.
He also served as associate member of the
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 2005. Founded in 1915, The Institute is
registered as a charity institution in the United Kingdom, and has approximately
11,000 members across more than 100 countries.
It is a center for global promotion,
facilitation and development of all forms of dispute resolution. PND (js)
President Aquino leads Vin d’Honneur in
Malacanang
President Benigno S. Aquino III hosted Friday
morning in Malacanang the traditional Vin d’Honneur expressing his optimism for
a fruitful 2013.
In his message, the President said 2012 was a
good year for the Filipinos as the government posted economic growth that
surpassed expectations.
Among the major achievements include the signing
of a peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the
restoration of public confidence in the country’s judiciary.
The President said that while the year 2012
would be a difficult year to match, given all what the government had achieved,
there are plenty of reasons to greet 2013 with optimism.
He expects to sustain the momentum set by his
administration in two and a half years hoping that this will continue to yield
positive results for the country and the Asian region.
“Though many challenges confront us, we know
that, with the Filipino people on our side and with the support of partners
overseas, we can make greater strides,” he stressed.
At the same time, the Chief Executive thanked
the members of the international community for continually demonstrating their
solidarity with the Filipino people especially during times of calamity and
disaster.
“We thank those who have placed their trust in
the collective capabilities of our people, those who have invested and continue
to find reasons to invest in our nation and in our people,” he said.
And to the countries that have welcomed
Filipinos abroad and to those who continue to work with the Philippine
government, the President extended his gratitude and pledged to deepen that
partnership for equitable prosperity.
The Vin d’Honneur is an annual traditional
reception hosted by the President at Malacanang Palace to mark the New Year.
As with many official traditions, the practice
of an official reception to mark the New Year dates back to the colonial
period.
In the past, Vin d’Honneur was quite a social
event. It is a traditional “open house” being an opportunity for high
government officials, former presidential families, members of Congress, the
judiciary, the diplomatic corps, and business and social circles to mingle
freely and relatively informally in the Palace.
After the EDSA Revolution, the traditional New
Year’s reception was continued, but came to be known from the administration of
President Corazon C. Aquino onward, as a Vin d’honneur.
The term comes from the French practice, which
means “wine of honor.” It traditionally takes place at the end of
inaugurations, speeches, and ceremonies that mark the social life of the French
provinces.
In the Philippines, Vin d’Honneur has come to be
considered primarily a diplomatic event, which features a toast exchanged
between the President of the Philippines and the Papal Nuncio, who is the Dean
of the Diplomatic Corps.
This year’s Vin d’Honneur marks the 26th New
Year’s reception since the EDSA Revolution (the first one took place in 1987).
PND (as)
Deadly Quezon operation no Palace backing, Ochoa
says
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
debunked a newspaper report saying that the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime
Commission (PAOCC), which he headed, sanctioned the deadly Quezon operation
during the weekend.
Sunday’s police-military operation in Atimonan,
Quezon resulted to the killing of 13 individuals claimed by the police as
gun-for-hires.
“I wish to point out though that a news report
saying that the Palace okayed the operation is completely erroneous,” Ochoa
said in a statement on Friday.
“The operations plan that was cited in the
Inquirer report is a confidential proposal that was not approved,” he stressed.
Ochoa also said he has directed the PAOCC
personnel to fully cooperate with authorities investigating the matter to get
to the bottom of the incident.
“I share the concern of those who seek
clarifications regarding the circumstances that led to the loss of lives, and I
am confident that the inquiry to be conducted by the NBI will help produce an
accurate account of the events surrounding the shootout,” he said.
A Philippine Daily Inquirer report said the
Quezon incident that left 13 people dead was the culmination of a three-month
police operation approved by the PAOCC headed by Ochoa.
The report said the operation, code-named
“Coplan Armado,” targeted Victor “Vic” Siman, the operator of the numbers
racket “jueteng” disguised as government-sanctioned Small Town Lottery (STL) in
Laguna and Batangas provinces in southern Luzon. Siman was among the fatalities
during Sunday’s encounter.
The objective is to “neutralize Siman’s group
through extensive police operations and meticulous intelligence gathering.
There are 15 targets in the coplan, according to the report, noting that six of
them from Batangas and the rest from Laguna province. PND (as)
Aquino vows continuous fight against graft and
corruption
President Benigno S. Aquino III said relentless
efforts against graft and corruption will continue and government agencies
perceived to be corrupt “will get a very severe jolt.”
During the annual Station Managers Conference of
the Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) with President Aquino on Thursday in
Malacanang, the President said he wants to show that his administration is
serious in fighting corruption.
“We are preparing the necessary actions. I
cannot go into details right now. Baka mahirapan ang ating prosecutors ‘pag
lalo pa nilang naitago ‘yung ebidensya,” the President said referring to
corrupt government agencies.
“Hindi na kami nagbibiro, talaga na
pinakikiusapan na sumama sa tuwid na landas. Mukhang talagang feeling nila ay
kaya nila kaming suwayin at ituloy ang kanilang maling mga kilusan. Ipakikita
namin sa kanilang nagkakamali sila,” he added.
The President also belied reports that the
government efforts to fight graft and corruption haven’t trickled down to the
lower levels of the bureaucracy.
He cited for instance the Land Transportation
Office (LTO), which in the past had so many fixers that victimized the public.
He said the LTO is now being praised for its better service in the absence of
fixers.
The President also said that a recent ranking by
the Transparency International put the Philippines at a better status in terms
of diminishing corruption.
This jump in ranking is substantial, the
President said as he assured that his administration will work harder to
achieve even better results in the future. PND (as)
President Aquino says his administration remains
committed to reinforce the agricultural sector; vows to raise productivity and
profitability of country's farms
President Benigno S. Aquino III said the
government stands behind the initiatives of the Department of Agriculture and
other concerned government agencies to raise productivity and profitability of
the country's farms.
The Chief Executive said, in an interview with
the Radio Mindanao Network on Thursday, that his administration remains
committed to reinforce the agricultural sector.
"Ang focus kasi natin: Paano tayo
makakatulong doon sa farmer? ‘Yung isa sa mga concepts ni (Agriculture)
Secretary (Proceso) Alcala, ‘yung farmer at saka ang consumer
natin nang mas diretsuhan, tanggalin natin ang middleman; lalakas ang kita ng
farmer; bababa ang presyo para sa consumer; so darami ang ‘Tindahan ng Bayan’ o
‘Bagsakan ng Bayan’, ang tawag nila," the President said.
Reducing hunger and poverty is among the
cornerstones of the Aquino administration’s agenda. President Aquino noted
adding that his government is determined to achieve these goals through
innovations that would reinforce the country's agricultural sector.
"We are studying two proposals here: one is
the cold storage chain and basically hinahabol na mabenta sa merkado ang mga
produkto at a timely manner," he said.
"Tapos may PPP (Public-Private Partnership)
na tinitingnan, pangalawa is called the ‘grains central project’. It
establishes post-harvest processing and trucking centers to improve the quality
of agricultural produce," he said.
The project involves the rehabilitation,
upgrading, expansion and operation of existing Post-Harvest Processing and
Trading Centers (PHPTCs) that are currently managed and operated by the
National Agribusiness Corporation. It also involves the integration of 41
village-type PHPTCs and the possible construction and establishment of
green-field PHPTCs.
"Ibig sabihin merong naghahanap kunwari ng
kape. Itong central trucking na ito sasabihin kung nasaan available ‘yung kape.
Ili-link natin ang namimili at saka ang source..... So imbes na naghahanapan
ang buyer at saka ang seller, pinag-uugnay na natin, he said. PND (js)
President Aquino says government serious in
fighting illegal drugs; vows to go after illicit drug manufacturers
President Benigno S. Aquino III expressed
Thursday his renewed commitment to fight illegal drugs in the country by going
after illicit drug manufacturers and at the same time rehabilitating drug
users.
The President acknowledged that the illegal
substances now come from different fronts and the traditional sources have
disappeared.
“The threat is coming from so many fronts. Wala
na ang mga traditional sources. Maraming sources ngayon kung saan-saan and from
both the northern and the southern hemispheres,” he said during an interview
with the Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) on Thursday.
“Huwag nating kalimutan na worldwide ang
problema, ano. I can’t go into some of the details dahil ongoing ang
operations. But, syempre, hahabulin natin na matigil ‘yung supply; pipilitin
natin na ma-rehabilitate ang users; at saka talagang mas istrikto tayo na wala
na ang pagbibigyan,” he added.
President Aquino also suggested changing the law
for it to conform to the current conditions. For instance, legislators must
consider making it automatic for users to spend time in the rehabilitation
centers. Their rehabilitation must also be monitored to know whether they are
backsliding or progressing.
Based on his instructions, the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Department of Health (DOH) will study a
rehabilitation program which is appropriate for shabu users, the preferred drug
of choice among users.
The Chief Executive also said he expects a lot
from PDEA chief Gen. Arturo Cacdac to do a successful fight against illegal
drugs in the country.
To improve PDEA’s anti-illegal drug campaign,
the President said, he approved the release of additional budget for the
anti-illegal narcotics agency.
The Philippine Coast Guard, which has been
running an effective dog breeding program intended for anti-terrorism and
illegal drugs will also supply PDEA with canines to be used in the
anti-narcotics campaign, the President said. PND (as)
President Aquino says government expected to
post higher foreign direct investments this year
President Benigno S. Aquino III said his
government expects to post higher foreign direct investments this year as more
investors from Australia, United States and Europe are visiting the country to
explore investment opportunities.
The Chief Executive said, in an interview with
the dzXL-Radio Mindanao Network on Thursday, that the Philippines remains
globally competitive in attracting foreign investments.
"We just inaugurated ‘yung planta ng B/E
Aerospace that deals with galleys in airplanes, seats, lavatories, etcetera.
They just inaugurated their plant—the first outside North America in Europe—in
Santo Tomas, Batangas," President Aquino said.
"Austal, a ship-building company based in
Australia, is expanding their facilities in Cebu," he said.
The President said a consumer goods company is
also putting up another plant in the country.
"Among the biggest players that have really
brought in a lot, ‘yung Nestlé inaugurated again their third plant—one is in
Cagayan de Oro, the other one is in Batangas," he said.
President Aquino said that prospects are also
bright with the country’s business process outsourcing.
"A BPO firm called Excel based in New York
is expanding their third site again in Cebu. ‘Yung BPO industry is expanding
exponentially throughout the county not just in the urban centers of Manila and
Cebu," he said.
"So currently we have about 700,000 direct
employees already. By 2016, we expect that to be 1.2 million direct employees
tapos imu-multiply mo ng three at ‘yung figure na ‘yon ia-add mo doon sa 1.2
(million) it will give you the total number of people working directly or
indirectly because of the BPO industry," he said. PND (js)
Aquino: Govt to incarcerate offenders to
effectively fight crime
Putting criminals behind bars will be the
government’s major thrust in fighting crime in the country, President Benigno
S. Aquino III said on Thursday.
While it’s difficult for the government to solve
all the crimes happening in the country, the President vowed not to stop
looking for measures to stop various offenses and to jail offenders.
“Nalaman mo, nahuli mo, nakasuhan mo, nakulong.
Sa akin ang endpoint ‘yung ‘kulong’ so ‘yun ang tinatrabaho natin,” the
President said during the annual Station Managers Conference of the Radio
Mindanao Network (RMN) on Thursday in Malacanang.
“We’re working with the judiciary na
mapapaspasan ‘yung proseso kung saan ‘pag nadakip, matibay ang ebidensya, makulong
nang diretsuhan. Kailangan ‘pag may ginawa kang krimen merong katiyakan na
makukulong ka. So nandito na tayo sa first step na nahuhuli; ‘yung next step na
lang na nakukulong,” he added.
The president also said he doesn’t impose
deadlines on the police to avoid investigation done in haste that produce wrong
suspects. The police must produce strong evidence, and with the cooperation of
the judiciary, prosecutors can ensure that criminals go to jail, he said.
But it is disheartening to see media reports
saying the peace and order situation in the country is getting worse when in
fact some of these cases are isolated and contrary to the declining criminality
figures in the country, he said.
Other measures to fight crime include going
after private armed groups, the President said.
He reported that 123 members of private armed
groups have either been arrested or have surrendered to the police. PND (as)
