President Aquino confers Order of Sikatuna on
outgoing Ambassador of Egypt
President Benigno S. Aquino III conferred the
Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu Katangiang Pilak (Grand Cross Silver
Distinction) on outgoing Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipontentiary Ahmed
Mahmoud Maher Abbas of the Arab Republic of Egypt in simple ceremonies at the
Music Room of the Malacanang Palace on Tuesday.
The President awarded the Order of Sikatuna on
Ambassador Abbas, in recognition of his contribution to strengthening the
bilateral relations between the Philippines and the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Abbas had rendered meritorious and exceptional
work to foster better relations between the two countries.
Witnessing the conferment and farewell
ceremonies were Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Jose S. Brillantes.
Ambassador Abbas was cited "for his effort
to sustain the momentum for more vigorous bilateral relations in the aftermath
of the 2011 Arab Spring through the Convention of the 7th Round of the
Philippines-Egypt bilateral Consultations held in Cairo, Egypt in July 2012,
which included negotiations on the Memorandum of Understanding in the Field of
Health, Medical Services and Pharmaceutical Production and Tourism
Cooperation.”
Abbas was also cited for his role in expanding
the bilateral trade between the Philippines and Egypt which has led to the
increase of US$31.8 million in 2009 to US$97 million in 2011, creating strong
momentum for trade expansion.
The Order of Sikatuna was established in 1953
and is conferred by the President of the Philippines to give recognition to
individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the
Philippines, and to diplomats, officials and nationals of foreign states who
have rendered conspicuous services in fostering, developing, and strengthening
relations between their country and the Philippines as well as personnel of the
Department of Foreign Affairs both in the Home Office and in the Foreign
Service. PND (js)
Aquino government elated over the success of
DOLE in enhancing the services extended by Phil-Job Net in providing job
vacancies
The Aquino administration expressed elation over
the reported success of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in
enhancing the services extended by Phil-Job Net in providing at least 100,000
job vacancies at any given time, a Palace official said on Tuesday.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said during the regular press briefing in Malacanang that the administration is
looking forward to the continuing development of the Phil-Job Net website to be
able to give assistance to the job seekers.
"We are pleased to share the report of
Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz to the President regarding
Phil-Job Net (www.phil-job.net), the official job portal of the Philippine
Government," Valte said.
"For the first time in its history, the
number of vacancies on the website has outpaced the number of applicants. As of
today, there have been more than 264,000 vacancies posted by employers compared
to a little over 117,000 applicants. The number of vacancies is also at an
all-time high compared to only an average of 40,000 a month as of July 2010,"
Valte said.
Since Secretary Baldoz took over the helm of the
DOLE, Valte said she enhanced the services provided by Phil-Job Net to include
job postings from skilled workers as well as legitimate employers.
Under Baldoz's stewardship, Valte said the DOLE
has also expanded the website’s coverage to provide at least 100,000 job
vacancies at any given time.
"We look forward to their continuing
development of the Phil-Job Net website into an even more responsive and
inclusive tool for both job seekers and job matching, which redounds to the
benefit of our countrymen," she said. PND (js)
Palace says resignations of officials from
NDRRMC, DTI and PhilHealth coincidental
Malacanang said on Tuesday that the resignations
of officials from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Philippine Health
Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) one after the other is just coincidental.
In a briefing in Malacanang, Deputy Presidential
Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the resignations of NDRRMC Executive
Director Benito Ramos, DTI Undersecretary Cristino Panlilio and Philhealth
chief executive officer Eduardo Banzon were borne out of their personal choices
to move on and change career paths.
“There are times that people need to move on and
need to change into different career paths,” Valte said noting that Ramos, who
submitted his third resignation letter to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin
last week, “has signified his intent to leave the service in order to attend to
his wife (who is suffering from complications arising from diabetes).”
Panlilio, who had already tendered his
resignation last month to return to private life, had agreed to stay on only
until January 16, 2013; while Banzon, who had already submitted his resignation
letter to the Philhealth board, is leaving public service for “personal
reasons.”
“I think nagkakataon lang ito (na nagkasabay-sabay
ang resignations from government service),” Valte said.
She pointed out that since there is an ongoing
ban in appointing new officials or staff to vacant government positions due to
the upcoming elections in May, temporary officers-in-charge from within the
concerned agency may be considered.
“There is also an election ban and appointment
ban in effect so Health Secretary Enrique Ona will be acting temporarily as the
OIC of Philhealth,” Valte said.
She added that she would “double check” who
would head the positions vacated by Panlilio and Ramos. PND (rck)
Malacañang announces appointment of Lt. Gen
Emmanuel Bautista as new AFP Chief of Staff
Malacañang announced on Tuesday the appointment
of Lieutenant General Emmanuel T. Bautista as the new Chief of Staff of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines replacing outgoing AFP Chief of Staff Gen.
Jessie Dellosa who is set to retire.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
made the announcement in a statement released by Malacanang.
She said Bautista, who is currently the
Commanding General of the Philippine Army and who is a member of the Philippine
Military Academy’s “Dimalupig” Class of 1981, will assume his new position on
January 20, 2013.
Valte thanked Dellosa “for having served the
country and our uniformed personnel with exemplary dedication and commitment.”
The complete text of Deputy Presidential
Spokesperson Abigail Valte follows:
"We are pleased to announce the appointment
of Lieutenant General Emmanuel T. Bautista as Chief of Staff of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines effective January 20, 2013. He will be replacing
General Jessie D. Dellosa who is set to retire.
Lt. Gen. Bautista is currently the Commanding
General of the Philippine Army and prior to his appointment had served as
Commander of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army. A graduate of
the Philippine Military Academy’s 'Dimalupig' Class of 1981, he completed his
Masters in Public Administration at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
We thank outgoing AFP Chief of Staff Dellosa for
having served the country and our uniformed personnel with exemplary dedication
and commitment. We look forward to the stint of the incoming AFP Chief of Staff
in continuing the reforms set in motion by the President and implemented by his
predecessors in advancing the interests of our soldiers and the enhancement of
the defense capabilities of our country." PND (rck)
