Aquino wants ‘proactive’ coordination between
Philippine and US navies and concerned agencies in salvaging USS Guardian
President Benigno S. Aquino III wants a
concerted and “proactive” effort between the Philippine Navy and concerned
government agencies with its counterparts in the United States in salvaging and
extracting the USS Guardian, a U.S. Navy Avenger-class mine countermeasures
ship, that ran aground in the Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu sea last Thursday
(January 17), Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio "Jun" Aguinaldo
Abaya said on Monday.
In a press briefing in Malacanang, Abaya said
the President instructed the Task Force to look into the cause of the ship’s
grounding to ensure that no more “additional damage” happens to the reef
considered as a national treasure.
The Task Force, Abaya said, is composed of
representatives from the Coast Guard, the Philippine Navy, the Philippine
National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command and the
DOTC.
“The President is mindful of that national
treasure that we have – the very asset of the Tubbataha Reef and he wanted to
make sure that we be proactive in this: that we minimize damage, that we have
close coordination with the Americans, that we should not just allow them to
conduct their salvage operations on their own,” Abaya said.
He added that DOTC undersecretary Eduardo Oban,
Jr. and Philippine Navy Admiral Jose Luis Alano will soon be meeting with Rear
Adm. Thomas Carney, commander of the Logistics Group Western Pacific to discuss
salvaging and extracting operations for the USS Guardian.
He said among the steps to be taken to remove
the vessel and protect the reef from further damage include, assessing,
de-fueling, re-floating and installing oil-spill booms around the area to
prevent oil and fuel from spreading. PND (rck)
President Aquino receives Coca-Cola FEMSA
executives in Malacañang Monday
President Benigno S. Aquino III received
Coca-Cola Fomento Económico Mexicano (FEMSA) chief executive officer (CEO)
Carlos Salazar Lomelin in Malacanang Palace on Monday.
The Coca-Cola FEMSA chief executive officer was
accompanied by Juan Ramon Felix, Coca-Cola FEMSA Director for Asia Division and
Juan Carlos Dominguez, Coca-Cola FEMSA Director of Human Resources and
Corporate Affairs for Asia Division.
Also in attendance was Trade Secretary Gregory
Domingo.
The visit was an opportunity for Coca-Cola FEMSA
to exemplify its firm belief and confidence in the Philippine government and
economy and to demonstrate its commitment to strengthen and enhance the legacy
of its brands in the Philippines.
“We are very honored to meet President Aquino
and we look forward to a successful relationship with the Philippine
government, as we explore additional growth and investment opportunities in our
home in Asia.” the Coca-Cola FEMSA official said.
“We’re happy to have this unique opportunity to
operate in a country with healthy growth prospects, dynamic internal
consumption and an attractive socio-economic and demographic profile,” he
added.
Last December 13, 2012, Coca-Cola FEMSA signed a
definitive agreement with the Coca-Cola Company to acquire 51% of Coca-Cola
Bottlers Philippines, Incorporated. This is Coca-Cola FEMSA’s first acquisition
beyond Latin America and is seen as a vote of confidence in the strength of the
Philippine economy, and the opportunities it provides.
Coca-Cola has been present in the Philippines
since the start of the 20th century and has been locally produced since 1912.
The Philippines received the first Coca-Cola bottling and distribution
franchise in Asia. PND (js)
President Aquino to entice Swiss businessmen to
explore business opportunities in the Philippines, Ambassador Baja says
ZURICH, Switzerland) President Benigno S. Aquino
III is expected to entice top business leaders and other stakeholders attending
the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland to explore business
opportunities in the Philippines because the country is back in business, has
strong economic fundamentals, and "ready to do business with any country
in the world."
Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Leslie Baja
echoed this statement during an interview at the Philippine Embassy here as he
underscored the importance of the President's attendance to the WEF's annual
meeting.
The WEF is the foremost global community of
business, political, intellectual and other leaders of society who are
committed to improving the state of the world. It is an independent,
not-for-profit organization that brings together these leaders together to work
on projects that improve the lives of the people.
"Well, I think the biggest impact would be
the message that we'll be able to give to the audience in Davos (is that) the
Philippines ended 2012 with very good credentials as far as the economic
performance of the country is concerned, as far as our campaign on good
governance is concerned. So, this is basically the message, as I think, the
President will be able to present to the attendees in Davos," Baja said.
According to Baja, other countries have focused
their attention to the Philippines because of the good governance of the
President.
"We have always said that good governance
and transparency will be the main pillar as far as socioeconomic development of
the country is concerned, Baja said adding that because of the President's
strong policy in favor of good governance we are able to push forward the
economic agenda of the country."
"There are over 1,600 CEOs (chief executive
officers) who will be attending the Davos World Economic Forum and I think the
message will certainly be that the Philippines is back in business, that the
Philippines has very strong economic fundamentals, that basically we're ready
to do business with any country in the world," he added.
Baja stressed that it would also be a great
opportunity for President Aquino to brief the CEOs on the country's strong
economic fundamentals in the last two and a half years.
"Most of the CEOs, at least some of those
that I saw on the list, are already present in the Philippines. So, the CEOs or
some of the companies that they represent are planning expansion of their
presence in the Philippines. So, the message, I think would be that the
government is there to help them expand," he said.
"We're expanding the economic space also by
the good governance policy of the President and as I said, we're open for
business and this is basically the message that we will put forward to the
roundtable with the CEOs," Baja added.
Baja said that during the event, the President
will also be able to promote his administration's public private partnership
program or the PPP which, he said, is one of the government's major projects.
"I think this will have a good resonance
since the PPP program now is picking up back home, we have approved several
projects also last year. And the President will be given a special privilege to
address this session on PPP and infrastructure. So, he'll be able to give the
Philippine experience to the attendees in the World Economic Forum of how the
Philippines is using the PPP in order to improve the infrastructure development
in the country," he noted. PND (rda)
Filipino community in Switzerland ready to
welcome President Aquino, says Ambassador Baja
ZURICH, Switzerland) Members of the Filipino
community here are proud and all set to personally welcome President Benigno S.
Aquino III when he meets with them following his attendance to the annual
meeting of the World Economic Foum (WEF).
The President's visit to Switzerland is his
first since he assumed office in June 2010. He is scheduled to meet with the
Filipino community at the Renaissance Hotel before he leaves for Manila on
Saturday (January 26).
In an interview, Philippine Ambassador to
Switzerland Leslie Baja said the overseas Filipino workers here look forward to
meeting the President.
"The Filipino community, I think, we're all
very proud that the President is coming to Switzerland, " he emphasized.
"Sabi nila sa akin, this is the first time
daw that the Philippine President, (who is) visiting Switzerland in so many
years, ay makikipagtagpo sa mga miyembro ng Filipino community," Baja
said.
"Maraming-maraming Filipino na po ang
gustong mag-attend ng Filipino community meeting and they really look forward
to being able to hear and see the President first hand and personally. So,
maganda po ang reception at ng pagtanggap ng balita na makikipagtagpo ang ating
Pangulo sa Filipino community dito sa Switzerland," Baja stressed.
Baja also explained that President Aquino's
meeting with the Filipino community would be a good opportunity for him to
oversee their condition and to brief them on the positive developments in the
Philippines under his watch for the last two and a half years.
He noted that there are about more or less
10,000 Filipinos and Swiss-Filipinos in Switzerland holding dual citizenships.
"The main wave of Filipinos who came to
Switzerland was in the 70s when Filupino nurses were still able to come in,
" Baja said adding that at present majority of the Filipinos working in
Switzerland are nurses, some are working in Swiss multinationals, some are in
Geneva serving as international civil servants and working for various
international organizations among others.
Expected to join the President during his
meeting with the Filipino community are Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del
Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Ambassador Baja, Budget and
Management Secretary Florencio Abad, Secretary to the Cabinet Jose Rene
Almendras, Socio-economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Trade and
Industry Secretary Gregory Domingo, Communications Secretary Ramon Carandang,
and Ambassador Baja among others.
According to a fact sheet, as of June 2012,
there were already some 10,940 Filipinos in Switzerland broken down as follows
-- 6,061 permanent migrants, 1,201 children/dependents, and 3,678 workers.
By profession or occupation, 39 percent of these
Filipino workers are semi-skilled (secuirty officers, hospital staff,sales,
hotel workers, drivers); 37 percent are household or service staff such as
housekeeper, cook and gardeners; and 13 percent are professionals working as
executives, managers, accountants, nurses and in IT companies; and 11 percent
serve as employees of the United Nations.
In general, Filipino workers in Switzerland
enjoy satisfactory working conditions. They are among the highest paid workers
in Europe.
There are also 50 Filipino-Swiss organizations
in various parts of Switzerland with five resource centers located in Berne,
Zurich, Chur, Basel, and Zug aside from 15 other business entities. PND (rda)
Aquino’s trip to Davos, Switzerland an
opportunity to re-showcase Philippines as top investment site
President Benigno S. Aquino III’s upcoming trip
to Davos, Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting
from January 23 to 26 will also provide the Chief Executive an opportunity to
“re-showcase” the Philippines as a revitalized and re-emerging site for
investments,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said on Monday.
In a press briefing in Malacañang, Lacierda said
that that the “180-degree change in governance” that the President was able to
achieve by implementing government reforms has greatly improved the image of
the Philippines from being the “Sick Man of Asia” to becoming a “haven for
business opportunities.”
“So the primary purpose of the Davos visit is to
re-showcase the Philippines—what the Philippines has been doing; what President
Aquino has been doing insofar as reforms that are being undertaken and why the
Philippine economy has gone to where it is right now,” Lacierda said.
“There’s so much that the Philippines can offer
to the international community. The strength of our economy is one proof that
good governance is working. The root of our progress right now is that the
international community has seen a 180-degree change in governance,” he added.
He expressed confidence that the President will
able to entice potential investors to take a look at the Philippines as their
new investment locale as “the international community is seeing the business
(in the Philippines) as a level field and they’re interested to invest in the
Philippines.”
“Look, the Philippines is under new management
so if the CEOs are convinced—and I’m sure they will be convinced that the
Philippines is under new management—they will order their business units to
invest in the Philippines or to look in, to explore economic opportunities in
the Philippines,” Lacierda said.
“(The WEF in) Davos is primarily a meeting of
CEOs where ideas are shared and so it’s where the CEOs will be briefed
personally by the President of what the Philippines is doing and it’s up to the
CEOs to see and to believe that the Philippines is indeed a haven for business
opportunities,” he added. PND (rck)
