President Aquino's Speech on Philippine
experience to weed out corruption gets 'very good' reception from global
leaders and top financial executives
DAVOS,
Switzerland) President Benigno S. Aquino III's speech on the country's
experience to weed out corruption received a "very good" reception
and served as inspiration from global leaders and top chief executive officers
as well as chief financial officers attending the World Economic Forum (WEF)
Annual Meeting here.
"The reception I think was very good. There
were a lot of private sector people there, corporations from different fields,
there were some BPO (business process outsourcing) companies, there were some
services companies and all of them spent a lot of time chatting with President
Aquino, having the pictures taken with him," Presidential Communication Development
and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ramon Carandang said in a press
briefing here on Thursday.
President Aquino delivered a 10-minute speech
before world leaders, chief executive officers and representatives from big
corporations during the WEF's activity on "Partnering Against Corruption
Initiative" on Thursday here.
"I think people understand that the
Philippines is really taking serious steps to reform its economy, and I think
they are very appreciative of that," Carandang said.
According to Carandang, the President's speech
during the forum highlighted "some of the actions that we took to fight
high-level, high profile corruption were touched upon such as the impeachment
process... Just to give examples of some of the things that we're doing to
reform not just the fiscal picture but also the political landscape as
well."
Carandang also described the audience gathered
during the forum as a mixed crowd composed mostly of chief executive officers,
chief finance officers and other world leaders.
He noted that also present in the audience were
Filipino delegates notably Jaime (Augusto) and Fernando Zobel.
Carandang noted that the President was the first
speaker during the forum, followed by the leader of Mongolia. Other leaders
from India and Peru also spoke and shared their experiences and what they're
doing about in their own country.
"Well Mongolians, i think have caught some
global attention also because they're making very strong statements against
corruption as well. Their economies also (are) growing quite rapidly. So they
were also being recognized as well," he stressed.
Carandang pointed out that what brought
everybody together during the forum on Partnering Against Corruption
Initiative, "was that you had governments that were taking concrete steps
and they were willing to share what they learned with the corporations."
"I think this is good because when the CEOs
hear from the leaders and not just President Aquino but the President of
Mongolia - when they hear straight from the leaders about what they're doing to
fight corruption, I think it helps instill confidence in them because everyone
of those people was a potential investor in our country," Carandang noted.
"So when you explain all of these things to
them, they sometimes act a little surprised because some of the moves that
we've taken are quite bold. So I think it creates a good impression of not just
the leadership but a country in general," Carandang said. PND (rda)
President Aquino thanks IMF Managing Director
Christine Lagarde for her confidence in the Philippines
DAVOS,
Switzerland) President Benigno S. Aquino III thanked International Monetary
Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde for her confidence in the
Philippines during their meeting on the sidelines of the President’s attendance
to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting here.
President Aquino met with Lagarde on Thursday
evening (Swiss time). The meeting took about 40 minutes, according to
Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary
Ramon Carandang.
“It was basically a courtesy call; they
exchanged pleasantries. Ms. Lagarde informed the President that the IMF had
upgraded the growth projections for the Philippines,” Carandang told members of
the Philippine media here.
“They (IMF) said that based on their analysis,
things were looking very positive for the Philippines, and that they were
confident that the growth targets could be attained, given the momentum that
we‘ve had,” he added.
IMF has raised its economic growth forecast for
the Philippines for 2013 to 6 percent from 4.8 percent.
Carandang said IMF increased its 2013 forecast
for the country because “they expect growth to be faster than they initially
expected.” He said that President Aquino, in turn, thanked Lagarde for her
confidence in the Philippines.
During their meeting, President Aquino shared
his government’s efforts to bring about growth through wise spending of
government expenditures and leveling the playing field to encourage more
investors, said Carandang.
The Secretary said the President also commended
the IMF chief. “Ms. Lagarde has a tough job because it is her job to convince
world leaders to make difficult choices. He commended her for being able to do
that in such an effective way,” he said.
Also present in the meeting were Foreign Affairs
Secretary Albert del Rosario, Budget Secretary Butch Abad, Secretary Cesar
Purisima, Secretary Gregory Domingo, Secretary Rene Almendras and Secretary
Arsenio Balisacan. PND (co)
Hepatology Society of the Philippines helps
government in addressing various concerns related to liver diseases, Aquino
says
President
Benigno S. Aquino III acknowledged the role of one of the country's leading
liver organizations in helping the government address various concerns related
to the liver diseases.
"A
healthy populace lays the foundations for a revitalized society," the
Chief Executive said in his message to the Hepatology Society of the
Philippines (HSP) on the occasion of its 2013 HSP Convention.
The
organization opened on Friday its 2013 HSP Convention "Unraveling
Prometheus: Hepatology in the 21st Century" at the Garden Ballroom, EDSA
Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City. The convention will end on Saturday.
"We
in government count your organization among our reliable partners in this
mission: the HSP Convention is crucial to improving our country’s level of
liver health, as you discuss issues and develop solutions to challenges within
the ever-changing landscape of hepatology in the 21st Century," President
Aquino noted.
"May
this be a productive and engaging assembly, as you create more opportunities to
realize your potential as healers and as catalysts of change. It is our
communal responsibility in this era of daylight to secure our people’s health,
that they may be able to take part in nation-building," the President
said.
President
Aquino called on the organization to stay united with the government and remain
committed to their common endeavors to improve the health of the people.
He,
likewise, encouraged the members of the organization to cultivate the values of
integrity, transparency, and accountability in their hearts and deeds for the
benefit of the Filipino people.
The HSP
is committed to the study of the liver in health and disease. It is also
involved in research, education, advocacy and formulation of national health
policies in partnership with the global community. PND (js)
Aquino vows to continue institutionalizing
reforms to effect country's enduring progress
DAVOS,
Switzerland) President Benigno S. Aquino III on Thursday vowed to relentlessly
pursue efforts in institutionalizing reforms in the country saying his
government "wants change to become an enduring mainstream of progress
rather than a mere blip in the radar and a case study for failed expectations."
"To etch positive, meaningful change in
stone, to build real foundations to progress, to ensure that Filipinos are able
to thrive and succeed within the Motherland ---that is our challenge," the
Chief Executive said in a 10-minute speech he delivered before global leaders,
chief executive officers, chief financial officers and other stakeholders
attending the World Economic Forum activity on "Partnering Against Corrupt
Initiative (PACI)" here.
The President expressed the belief that the
entire Filipino citizenry "are up to it, and are in fact already showing
the world we are ready, we are dreaming again, and we are on the way to
achieving those dreams."
The President said that when he assumed office
on June 30. 2010, he was confronted by a government where corruption was
rampant, and a citizenry that had spiraled into apathy after almost a decade of
absentee leadership.
"The system was characterized by
transactionalism and an every-man-for-himself attitude, fueled by a drive to
remain in power rather than to render public service," he said.
He noted that as a leader of the more than 90
million Filipinos, he had to show that change and the fight against corruption
yielded positive results for the economy, and that these in turn yield benefits
not only for those at the top but the majority of Filipinos.
"When I came into office, I found that our
National Food Authority, the government agency tasked to ensure rice efficiency
-- had an outstanding debt that, from 300 million dollars less than a decade
before when my predecessor started in office -- had bloated to around 4.4
billion dollars, the President said because the previous administration
insisted on importing more rice than was needed to feed the Filipino
people," the President said.
To solve this problem, President Aquino said the
administration empowered the farmers by pouring in more funds into irrigation,
arterial roads, research into higher-yielding varieties and other technologies.
""From importing almost two and a half
million metric tons of rice in 2010, now if the weather permits, we are looking
at full rice self-sufficiency -- and even the possibility of exporting it by
the end of this year," he said.
Another
example of corruption mentioned by the President was the Department of Public
Works and Highways (DPWH) which, he said, for the longest time was the hotbed
of kickbacks and fund leakages.
The President pointed out that this has changed
under his helm by implementing mechanisms for a transparent bidding process,
one that encouraged competitions among contractors.
As a result, the President said, the DPWH has
saved, as of the end of 2012, around 300 million dollars .
"Take for example, a tunnel underpass
project at the heart of the National Capital Region Originally, projected to
cost around 17 billion dollars, it ended up costing only around 10.75 million
dollars," the President said adding that it was also completed a full
hundred days ahead of schedule.
President Aquino likewise cited the impeachment
of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. He said that after a trial
that was followed by the entire country, our Chief Justice was impeached and
removed from office.
"As you can see, we are changing the
attitude of the world towards the Philippines because we are changing the
attitude of Filipinos towards the system, Our task is to weed out the corrupt,
level the playing field, and instill a sense of justice and fairness," he
concluded.
During his speech, the President also cited the
gains made by his administration as a result of the reforms he has instituted
in the last two and a half years of his administration.
"Stability ensues and stakeholders begin to
buy into the system -- investors flock in, economic gains are channeled into
investments in our people's future such as those in health and education, and
the citizenry is empowered to spur growth further." he said.
The President told the CEOs, CFOs and the
government leaders present in Davos about the Philippine Stock Exchange index
which, according to him, has broken its own record high 70 times since he came
into office.
"We've recorded two consecutive ten place
jumps in the WEF's annual competitiveness ranking index; our GDP grew by 7.1
percent in the third quarter of 2012, surpassing most projections," he
said.
After getting upgrade after upgrade from credit
ratings agencies, the President said the administration is "on the cusp of
investment grade status -- and are, in fact at this point, afforded rates
equivalent to investment grade in securing our loans." PND (rda)
Palace assures public health workers: ‘You will remain employed’
Malacanang made an assurance on Friday that
workers in government hospitals will not be displaced once government’s
corporatization of health facilities fully takes effect.
A group
of health workers expressed its concern that the public-private partnership
(PPP) being undertaken by the government will result to job losses among
government hospital workers.
In a
press conference in Malacanang on Friday, Deputy presidential spokesperson
Abigail Valte said PPP projects including those on health facilities are being
discussed by the PPP center.
These
projects are about to be bidded out by the government and Valte said, adding
the Palace understands the sentiments of the public hospital workers about the
corporatization.
“Hindi
ipa-privatize. Hindi bibilhin ng private entity. The government will continue
to own these hospitals. Just for the record, hindi privatization,
corporatization because there will be private investors who are interested in
putting money to modernize the facilities and such,” Valte explained.
The
Department of Health, according to Valte made a commitment that workers from
government hospitals will not be displaced. Affected workers will be
transferred to other government hospitals after the modernization and once the
government determines the manpower needs of such hospitals.
“Kung
wala silang espasyo doon, ililipat sila ng DOH sa ibang lugar or ibang ospital
o baka sa DOH mismo para hindi naman sila mawalan ng trabaho,” Valte said.
With
regards to concerns that modernizing government hospitals would also mean
costlier medical services, Valte said the government’s aim is to provide
inclusive PhilHealth coverage for everyone particularly the poor.
“Tandaan
natin na we are aiming for universal healthcare... ang mga tinatawag nating
‘poorest of the poor’ ay mako-cover na ng PhilHealth. Alam naman natin na sa
ngayon 100 percent na ang kino-cover ng PhilHealth, ‘yung mga indigent patients
natin. As such, their hospital bills should be covered by PhilHealth,” she
explained. PND (as)
