President Aquino joins La Sallians in
commemorating 68th anniversary of De La Salle massacre
President Benigno S. Aquino III joined De La
Salle University faculty and students in commemorating the 68th anniversary of
the De La Salle massacre in ceremonies held at the University’s campus in
Manila on Wednesday.
The massacre happened on February 12, 1945 when
a group of Japanese soldiers entered the De La Salle College campus on Taft
Avenue and attacked and killed 24 men, women, and children, and 16 La Salle
brothers who were living there.
The President said in his speech keynoting the
unveiling of the Cory Aquino Democratic Space marker at the DLSU campus that it
was discovered that some of those killed “were relatives of mine.”
“Just yesterday, we observed the 68th
anniversary of the massacre in De La Salle College, which happened during the
Second World War. Sixteen brothers and twenty-four civilians were killed that
day, some of whom were relatives of mine,” the President said.
“As we pay tribute to their memory, we are again
reminded of how peace is the bedrock of happiness, prosperity, and national
progress,” he added noting that “It is the foundation upon which the La
Sallians that followed helped rebuild not just a prestigious university, but an
entire country.” PND (rck)
President Aquino unveils Cory Aquino Democratic
Space marker at campus of De La Salle University in Manila
President Benigno S. Aquino III officially
opened the Cory Aquino Democratic Space (CADS), a sprawling park dedicated in
honor of the President’s mother and democratic icon, in ceremonies held at the
De La Salle University (DLSU) main campus in Manila on Wednesday.
The President, who was accompanied by DLSU
president and chancellor Ricardo Laguda, FSC; Education Secretary Armin Luistro
and SM Prime Holdings, Inc. president Hans Sy, unveiled the marker of CADS which
is located at the front portion of the university campus.
In his speech, the President said the CADS will
serve to remind the community the importance of “discourse and
consensus-building” and provide the students and faculty of La Salle, a venue
to practice their right to stand up for what is right.
“Today, we are likewise inaugurating the Cory
Aquino Democratic Space. My mother, during her life, seldom took pleasure from
praise—but this patch of green, and the ideals it stands for, would have made
her proud,” the President said.
“As my mother’s memory always reminds me, so too
will this space remind your community of the importance of discourse and
consensus-building. More importantly, it provides a venue in which La Sallians
can continue to practice their right to stand up for what they believe to be
right,” he added.
“This democratic space embodies the
righteousness and the bravery of those who have come before, and it will
continue to become a source of courage for all your students, your teachers,
your administrators, your donors, and anyone who sets foot in it,” the
President said.
The President also cited the newly constructed
Henry Sy, Sr. Hall located at the rear of CADS, saying it showed that our
“educational institutions are continuing to improve their facilities” to serve
the students better.
“The Henry Sy, Sr. Hall will undoubtedly add to
La Salle’s capacities to equip students with the knowledge they need to etch
their own marks in our country’s history,” the President said.
A major project of DLSU during its centennial
year in 2011, the new building’s main feature is the Learning Commons: a
central hub that will house one million books, electronic databases, and
special collections.
More than a repository of books and reference
materials, the Learning Commons is a place of transformative learning and
collaborative, multi-disciplinary research.
Named in honor of the Philippine retail magnate,
the Henry Sy, Sr. Hall is a 14-storey modern and eco-friendly building which
houses various academic service units, study areas, learning spaces and select
offices.
In ending, the President called on the students
of La Salle to continue the academic excellence achieved by their fellow La
Sallians who came before them in order help build the country.
“As President, I am counting on you to continue
the good work in the coming decades. This is not just about finding your
personal success, but also about contributing to your community and to your
country. In the same way that the former students, the teachers, the
administrators, and the donors whose names decorate the history of La Salle
have given part of their life to the community. You have an obligation to
fulfill your potential and continue the great Lasallian tradition of helping
build this country,” the President said.
“You have the natural talent—a combination of
intellect, creativity, and compassion—and your school is doing everything it
can to nurture that talent. And it is my hope that you can grow to surpass even
those who have come before you,” he added. PND (rck)
President Aquino visits International Rice
Research Institute in Los Banos, Laguna
LOS BANOS, Laguna) President Benigno S. Aquino
III visited on Thursday the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to get
an update on the progress of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between
the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the institute with the aim of enhancing
their collaboration in support for the Philippines' Food Staples Sufficiency
Program (FSSP).
Upon his arrival here, the chief executive was
welcomed by Dr. Emerlinda Roman, IRRI Board of Trustees chair, Dr. V. Bruce J.
Tolentino, IRRI Deputy Director General for Communications and Partnerships and
other IRRI officials.
The President's visit coincided with the
celebration of the 2013 National Year of Rice. Also in attendance were
Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala and Presidential Management Staff head
Julia Abad.
The President also visited the IRRI to help
highlight the important role of the research in boosting the country's rice
production.
During the visit, President Aquino was given an
overview of the IRRI's history since 1960, and an update on the collaboration
between the DA and IRRI to support the (FSSP).
Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman and Dr. Achim Dobermann
made a presentation on IRRI's research agenda at the Board Room located at the
FF Hill Building at the IRRI headquarters. They presented a statistic to the
President showing no slowdown in global rice consumption and discussed with him
the global per capita rice consumption and the productivity and proficiency
growth.
They, likewise, briefed the President on the
various IRRI programs such as Home of the Green Revolution, the new breeding
products, mechanized diversified cropping systems, ecological intensification
platform at IRRI, Solar bubble dryer prototype, the new business models for
smallholder farming, training of extension agronomists from Africa, among
others.
Sec. Alcala and Dr. V. Bruce J. Tolentino also
conducted a presentation regarding several programs and initiatives launched
through IRRI-Philippines partnership such as the Green Revolution, Restoring
Ecosystem resilience to control inspect pests, Alternate Wetting and Drying
Rice Knowledge Bank, among others.
"The Philippines is more focused than ever
before on improving productivity in its rice sector to meet its rice
self-sufficiency targets," Dobermann said in a statement.
"We are also working closely with
Philippine agencies to develop real-time maps of rice production. So, at any
point of time, we will able to tell the state of the nation's rice crop,"
Dobermann said
Sec. Alcala and Director General Robert Zeigler
of the IRRI signed in December, 2012 the MOA which aims to support the delivery
research and extension services of the FSSP. The program is aimed at achieving
self-sufficiency in rice and other food staples by 2013 – the National Year of
Rice.
Under the FSSP, the DA aims to strenghten national
resilience to impacts of climate change in attaining the objective of meeting
the domestic requirements of riceit his year.
The President’s visit to IRRI was highlighted by
a tour to the IRRI’s International Rice Genebank that conserves more than 117,000
different types of rice, including nearly 10,000 from the Philippines. The rice
seed preserved in the International Rice Genebank is the source of valuable
traits for the development of new and improved rice varieties for future
generations.
A total of 101 bred varieties have been released
in the Philippines suited to irrigated, rainfed, upland, low-temperature and
saline environments.
The collaboration between the IRRI and the
Philippines has helped enhanced the Philippines' excellent international standing
and impact in agricultural research productivity.
The Philippines was the first country to get the
IRRI's Nutrient Manager for Rice Mobile and App that deliver site-specific
nutrient management advice to farmers via their mobile phones. PND (js)
Palace welcomes court’s approval of motion to
consider Badal as state witness
Malacañang on Thursday welcomed a regional trial
court’s (RTC) decision to approve the motion filed by the government
prosecution panel to turn a former suspect in the infamous Maguindanao massacre
into a state witness.
In a press statement, Presidential Spokesman
Edwin Lacierda said Quezon City RTC Branch 221, which is under Judge Jocelyn
Solis-Reyes, granted the prosecution’s move to drop former Vice Mayor Sukarno
Badal from the charge sheet and turn him into a state witness instead.
“Today, the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City
Branch 221 approved a motion by the prosecution to consider Sukarno Badal a
state witness. Badal, former Vice Mayor of the town of Sultan Sa Barongis in
Maguindanao,” Lacierda’s statement read.
Lacierda added that Badal is expected to testify
on the planning, execution, and cover up of the mass murders of over 50
journalists, lawyers, and civilians in Ampatuan, Maguindanao in November of
2009.
“We hope the inclusion of Badal as a state
witness serves not only to strengthen the prosecution’s hand but also to move
the trial forward at a faster pace. Like all Filipinos, we want to see this
case resolved at the soonest possible time,” Lacierda said. PND (rck)
Aquino defends achievements, says addressing
social problems, unemployment takes time
SAN PABLO CITY) President Benigno S. Aquino III
defended Thursday the gains that his administration has achieved saying that
addressing poverty and unemployment can’t be done overnight.
Critics of the government said the current
economic gains of the government have not trickled down to impact and alleviate
the conditions of poor Filipinos.
But the President said, in an interview during
his visit here that there is no quick fix in addressing these concerns. For
instance, he said that to solve the problems in unemployment, the government
must invest on education and training people to get necessary skills for them
to get employed.
“Gusto natin hindi lang may trabaho, pero gusto
natin magandang trabaho. Para maging maganda ang trabaho kailangan ng
edukasyon.
‘Yung edukasyon hindi naman puwede overnight,”
the President said noting that thisgovernment thrust will take some time.
But the good thing is that the Department of
Education has started to carry out the K to 12 program and the Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has intensified its
initiatives to train more people.
So as a result, based on the recent statistics,
the President said a lot of people belonging to the self-employed category have
decreased in number because many of them have gone back to school as a result
of the enhanced government skills programs.
“So nabigyan ng pagkakataong makapag-aral,
magkaroon ng kaukulang talento o skills na mas magandang trabaho ang
mapapasukan,” he said.
Another good development on the country’s
economy includes the improved retail sector sales figures, the President said
adding that the retail sector reported a double-digit increase in sales
year-on-year.
It only means, the President said, that the
public’s purchasing power has improved recently owing to better jobs and
economic conditions.
Instead of criticizing the government on its
achievements, the President said government critics must present to the people
their platform of government in a healthy public discourse.
The President visited San Pablo City Friday to
endorse the administration’s candidates for the midterm elections in May. He
appealed to the people to support his candidates, the candidates of Team PNoy,
so that he could continue the reforms he started in government. PND (as)
