Aquino to Cebuanos: Support admin candidates for
continuous reforms
TALISAY CITY: President Benigno S. Aquino III
asked Cebuanos Tuesday night to support the coalition candidates this coming
May elections so that the reforms he initiated in government could continue.
In his speech during his visit here, the
President said the country has been reaping the fruits of the ongoing
bureaucratic reforms and the government’s anti-graft fight.
“Binigyan ninyo ako ng mandato para mamuno, para
dalhin tayo sa tuwid na daan. Sa darating pong halalan, may pagkakataon tayong
pabilisin pa ang pagkamit sa minimithi nating tunay na kasaganaan,” the
President told the Cebuanos.
“Mapapadali po ang trabaho nating itulak sa
pag-asenso ang sambayanan kung pipiliin natin ang mga pinunong umaasam ng
pagbabago at tatalikuran ang mali at lumang katiwalian. Pagkatiwalaan po sana
natin ang mga pinunong magtutuloy ng ating reporma at hindi tayo ibabalik sa
dating sistema,” he added.
With the support of the people, the President
said his administration has succeeded in setting the momentum for a clean,
trustworthy and transparent government. He said major reforms have been carried
out in education, public works, healthcare, electrification and many others.
For instance, under the government’s Sitio
Electrification Program, it was able to energized 6,898 sitios in the country
from 2011 to November 2012, the Chief Executive said adding that in Cebu alone,
the government provided power to more than 507 sitios recently.
In the education sector, the Department of
Education targets to completely fill this year the 66,800 classroom backlogs to
give young students quality education.
Also under the Aquino administration’s “straight
path”, corruption has been effectively curtailed in the Department of Public
Works and Highways (DPWH), enabling the department to save around P12 billion
since the administration took office in 2010.
The President noted that the government will
continue to intensify its social services to the people especially for the
poor.
In December 2012, the President also said that
the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program has registered more than three million
beneficiaries. And this year, the government targets to add 700,000 to have 3.8
million households under the government coverage, he added.
In closing, the President underscored the need
for Cebuanos to support the coalition candidates, from senatorial line ups to
local candidates to ensure that reforms will continue.
The President pointed out that the May polls
must set the tone for the country to have good leaders when he steps down from
power in 2016.
Joining the President during his Cebu visit on
Tuesday were Transportation and Communication Joseph Emilio Abaya, Sen.
Franklin Drilon, coalition senatorial candidates and their representatives.
Local leaders and Cebu local candidates were also present. PND (as)
Government working to improve Cebu’s infrastructures,
tourism sector, says Aquino
TALISAY CITY: The government has set its eyes on
Cebu to improve its infrastructure for the benefit of the province’s trade and
tourism sectors, President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Tuesday.
The President, who arrived in Cebu Tuesday, said
his administration has been working to improve Cebu’s road networks as well as
its international airport so that the province could move forward.
He also reported that since he assumed office in
2010, the anti-corruption fight of the government made it possible for the
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to save around P12 billion.
“Hindi nga po nagpapahuli ang DPWH sa
pag-aasikaso ng makabuluhang imprastraktura dito sa Cebu upang lalo pang
mapaunlad ang inyong turismo at komersiyo,” the President said in his speech
during a meeting with local officials of Cebu Tuesday night.
Among the ongoing construction works in Cebu
include the construction of the North Hagnaya Wharf Road, which serves as the
gateway to the popular Bantayan Island in the province.
The North Hagnaya Wharf Road will be completed
this month, according to the President.
This June, the President said he expects that
rehabilitation works of Ouano Avenue will be finished, cutting the travel time
from Cebu to Mactan International Airport from one hour to 30 minutes.
The widening of the Mactan Circumferential Road
will also start soon, the President said adding that this will make travel from
one place to another within the island easier and more convenient especially
for tourists.
In his last state-of-the-nation address (SONA),
the President said the upgrade of the Mactan International Airport will also
start soon. He said his administration eyes to complete the upgrading of the
airport before he steps down from power in 2016.
Aside from focusing on improving the province’s
infrastructure, the President said he is also working on expanding the social
services to the people of Cebu as well as the entire country.
At the national level, the number of poor
families benefiting from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program of the
government is around three million as of December last year. The government
targets to make it 3.8 million households this year.
“Dito po sa Cebu, namumuhunan na tayo sa
kinabukasan ng mahigit 97,000 kabahayan upang umagapay sa kanila palayo sa
kahirapan at palapit sa kaunlaran,” he said noting that the important thing is
to ensure that kids remain in school, graduate and find jobs eventually.
“Ito nga po ang mga pinipitas nating positibong
bunga ng pagtahak sa tuwid na daan,” he said.
The President asked Cebu residents to support
the coalition candidates so that the reform agenda of his administration could
continue in the next three years.
The President was accompanied in his Talisay
City visit by Transportation and Communication Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya,
Sen. Franklin Drilon and the coalition candidates for senators and their
representatives. PND (as)
Aquino attends launching of Mactan Newtown in
Cebu
LAPU-LAPU CITY: President Benigno S. Aquino III attended
Wednesday the grand launching of the Mactan Newtown of the Megaworld Corp. as
he assured investors that his administration will continue to level the playing
field for businesses.
In his message during the launching ceremonies
of the project, the President expressed his gratitude to Megaworld for trusting
the government and putting one of its investments in Lapu-Lapu City.
“Since assuming office, we have made a point to
make it easier for companies to set up shop here, or to expand, as you are doing
today,” the President said.
“We are making sure that we provide competitive
incentives to those investing in our priority sectors; and we are making sure
that the keys to success in our country are hard work and innovation, and not
simply a willingness to connive with crooks,” he added.
The Mactan Newtown is a valuable gauge for the
government to know that it has been making progress, he said adding that this
kind of project is helping to grow the economy in ways that can be felt by
ordinary people.
Once the project is completed, many of the
businesses that will be established in Mactan Newtown will create tens of
thousands of jobs for the local community both direct and indirect, the
President said.
One of the major beneficiaries of Megaworld’s
project is Cebu’s tourism sector, according to the President. The project will
provide the rooms for the government to reach its target for domestic and
international tourists.
The Department of Tourism has raised the 2016
domestic tourism target to 56.1 million travellers. By that time, the President
said he expects that the country will need more than 37,000 additional rooms in
its destination clusters, including Cebu.
In June last year, the President signed
Proclamation No. 407 declaring the Mactan Newtown as a mixed-use special
economic zone for information technology, tourism and retirement under the
Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
The township, consisted of luxury residential
condominiums, office towers, and world-class mall, is inspired by the
“live-work-play” lifestyle concept that Megaworld has pioneered in the
Philippines.
Megaworld Corp., one of the country’s real state
giants, said it is investing P20 billion within the next five to seven years
for its more than 20-hectare township development in Lapu-Lapu City.
The company said its cyberpark at Mactan Newtown
is expected to generate employment for 25,000 full-time business process
outsourcing (BPO) workers within five to seven years. PND (as)
Malacañang says disaster preparedness measures
in place to help mitigate effects of typhoon 'Crising'
The national government through the Department
of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has put in place disaster-preparedness
measures in response to the effects of tropical depression ‘Crising’ which is
currently ravaging several parts of Mindanao, Malacañang said.
In a press statement released on Wednesday,
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that P15,528,181.68 worth of standby
funds and P24,121,258 worth of relief supplies have been prepositioned in all
DSWD field offices along the storm path, amounting to P39,649,439.96.
Lacierda noted that of this amount,
P8,584,738.43 worth of standby funds and a P15,171,087.17 stockpile have been
prepared for the Caraga region alone which is among the areas badly hit by the
cyclone.
A total of 644 families or 3,220 individuals
were reported affected by ‘Crising’ in Northern Mindanao where the DSWD field
office has prepared a P607,599.96 worth of standby funds and P3,232,664.20
worth of stockpile, composed of food and non-food items.
In the Davao region, where a total of 8,820
families or 44,370 individuals were affected, standby funds amounting to
P4,649,925.54, and a sufficient stockpile composed of food and non-food items
have been made available.
Meanwhile, P500,000.00 worth of standby funds
and P1,007,649.09 worth of stockpile, composed of food and nonfood items, have
been readied at the Region IV-B Field Office; while prepositioned food (4,000
family food packs, 30 boxes of noodles, 158 boxes of canned goods, crackers,
etc.) and P3,000,000.00 worth of nonfood items (mats, tarpaulin, used clothing,
tents) have been made available at the Region XII Field Office.
“The above prepositioning of goods and services
is in keeping with DSWD’s mandate of ensuring the well-being of Filipinos,
through the efficient delivery of much-needed goods and social services,
especially in times of great need. Rest assured that the DSWD and the rest of
the national government (offices) will continue to meet the demands of disaster
risk-reduction standards,” Lacierda’s statement concluded. PND (hdc)
President Aquino vows to complete government
infrastructure projects in Capiz to further develop its agriculture, tourism
industries
SIGMA, CAPIZ) President Benigno S. Aquino III
assured on Wednesday that the government’s infrastructure projects will be
completed as scheduled to further develop the agriculture, commercial and
tourism industries in the province.
In his message during a meeting with local
leaders and the community held at the Sigma Civic Center on Wednesday, the
Chief Executive reaffirmed his commitment to effectively provide the people of
various social services such as health, education and among others.
President Aquino said his administration
continues to invest in the needed infrastructure projects to boost the
province's agriculture.
"Dito po sa inyo sa Capiz, nakahilera na
ang ilang proyektong pang-imprastruktura. Ang inyo pong Maayon Communal
Irrigation Project— na sakop ang Barangay Batabat, Pina, Salgan, Poblacion
Ilaya, Poblacion Ilawod at Fernandez sa munisipyo ng Maayon, at Barangay
Cabugao at Cabangahan sa munisipyo ng Panit-an," the President said.
"Inaasahan nating hindi lamang
magpapayabong sa 780 hectares ng lupain at pananim, kundi makapaghahatid din ng
mahigit-kumulang walongdaang trabaho para sa construction workers, at
mahahatiran ng benepisyo ang nasa 834 na magsasaka," he added.
Anchored on the principle of "Tuwid na
Daan," the President noted that his government was able to build on the
gains of the anti-corruption campaign and reduce poverty.
"Noong Abril ng 2011 po, personal kong
nakaharap ang ilang benepisyaryo ng CCT (Conditional Cash Transfer) sa Barangay
Tisa sa Roxas City. Wala pa pong isang taon ang ating administrasyon noon,
mahigit kumulang pitong libong household beneficiaries na ang napa-enrol natin
sa Capiz," he said.
"At ngayon, mula nitong December 26, 2012,
pumalo na sa 37,193 na kabahayan na ang nakarehistro sa Pantawid Pamilya dito.
Lagpas pa po ito sa 37,100 na households na target natin para sa taong
2012," he said.
The President also stressed the government's
plan to further provide programs to improve the educational system in the
country, including the province of Capiz.
With the support of the Filipinos and the
private sector, the President expressed confidence that the government will be
able to continue expanding the country's economy.
Among those present during the meeting were
Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas, Capiz Governor Victor
Tanco, Sigma Mayor Mary Andaya and other local officials.
During the same event, President Aquino endorsed
the ruling Liberal Party candidates running for public posts in Capiz in the
May 2013 elections. He told the people of Capiz that the candidates of the Team
Pnoy would affirm his administration’s commitment to tread the straight and
righteous path in transforming the Philippines into a progressive nation. PND
(js)
Malacañang says no politics involed in public service
efforts of the Aquino administration
There is no politicking involved in the
acceleration of the Aquino administration’s public service programs coming into
the election period as claimed by other sectors, Malacañang said on Wednesday.
“Insinuations that the Aquino administration and
its allies have been distributing PhilHealth cards and rice, and
"rushing" the implementation of public works projects, as part of the
election campaign, reeks of a malicious, anti-people mindset that aims to cast
aside our people's welfare for the sake of a few soundbites,” Presidential
Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.
According to Lacierda, the PhilHealth cards were
delivered to the beneficiaries of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as part
of the Sajahatra Bangsamoro program, which was launched recently by the
government, “as a gesture to build good will and sustain the forward momentum
of the peace process.”
Lacierda said PhilHealth never sanctioned the
release of benefits in the alleged campaign activity of administration bets in
Bohol and no representative from the said agency was present during the
supposed distribution of health cards which, upon investigation, were not even
from PhilHealth.
He also added that the national government was
never involved in the release of rice by local executives in Bohol and that the
infrastructure projects, which are being funded by the Department of Public
Works and Highways (DPWH), are being accelerated precisely to ensure that their
economic benefits reach our people before the election ban takes place.
“At no instance—whether during this election
period, or during the two years and eight months of the Aquino
administration—were these services, or any government-funded initiative,
rendered in exchange for political favors from voters or constituents. It is
simply government doing its job – a job that must be done regardless of the
political climate,” Lacierda stressed.
Lacierda said the public service agenda of
President Benigno S. Aquino III will not be held hostage by such remarks
motivated by electioneering as he called on everyone to exercise vigilance upon
reporting and receiving such misinformation.
“We call on the citizenry to be vigilant of the
motivations behind such insinuations; the media to present the facts fairly,
completely, and accurately; and the candidates and their allies to participate
in the democratic process in a manner that is honorable, and does not sacrifice
public welfare upon the altar of politics,” concluded Lacierda in his
statement. PND (hdc)
