President Aquino
declares April 2 as special non-working day in Bulacan in Commemoration of the
225th birth anniversary of Francisco ‘Balagtas’ Baltazar
President Benigno S.
Aquino III has declared April 2, which falls on a Tuesday as a special
non-working day in the province of Bulacan in commemoration of the 225th birth
anniversary of prominent poet and orator Francisco "Balagtas"
Baltazar.
The Chief Executive
issued the declaration by virtue of Proclamation No. 560 signed by Executive
Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on March 13, to give the people of Bulacan the
full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion.
Known by his pen name
Balagtas, Baltazar has been described as the “Prince of Tagalog Poets."
Baltazar was born in
Panginay, Bigaa (now Balagtas), Bulacan on April 2, 1788. He was the youngest
of the four children of Juan Baltazar, a blacksmith, and Juana de la Cruz.
He worked as a helper
in Tondo to support his studies where he met Jose de la Cruz, a prominent poet
whose penchant for fighting cocks as payment for his literary works earned him
the sobriquet “Huseng Sisiw.”
The popular Filipino
debate form Balagtasan was named after Balagtas. He was recognized by the
Pahayagang Kastilyano (Spanish publication) and became the front cover for two
weeks.
Baltazar is widely
considered as the Tagalog equivalent of William Shakespeare for his impact on
Filipino literature. The famous epic, Florante at Laura, is regarded as his
defining work. In 1840, he moved to Bataan where he met Juana Tiambeng who
eventually became his wife. He died on February 20, 1862. PND (js)
‘We have a long way
to go towards getting Philippines off American and European aviation
watchlists,’ President Aquino tells Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
Saying that the country
still had a long way to go towards improving and meeting global standards on
aviation safety, President Benigno S. Aquino III extolled officers and
employees of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to join
government efforts and work doubly hard for the Philippines to get off the
watch lists of the United States of America and the European Union.
The President issued
his “marching orders” during the 5th Anniversary of CAAP held at the agency’s
main office in Pasay City on Monday.
“But while I am here
today to congratulate you for a job well done, and for celebrating your fifth
anniversary, I would also like to remind you that the job is not yet over. In
the coming days, weeks, and months, all of us will be working towards getting
our country off the watch lists of the United States and the European Union,”
the President said.
He lauded the CAAP’s
efforts to comply with global safety standards which include: a Civil Aviation
Safety Oversight Reporting and Tracking System, the Minimum Required Annual
Inspection for all air operators, revalidation of the Air Operators Certificate
of five international operators and several other air taxi operators and
domestic air operators, and the Certificate Management Department to help our
local carriers, such as the Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific, to meet the
standards of other countries and help them expand their routes.
He said though that
these programs which were implemented under the stewardship of CAAP Director
General William Hotchkiss III, have allowed the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) to lift the Significant Safety Concerns (SSC) it previously
issued to the Philippines and have resulted towards the fact that “it is now
more safe to fly in the Philippines.”
“This took the effort
of each person who works for this agency, and I extend my gratitude to all of
you for your work,” the President said.
“So today I also give
you my marching orders: Let’s get this done. We have the momentum; we have the
right people and have put the right systems in place. It is time for us to
usher in a golden age not just for Philippine aviation—not just for Philippine
tourism—but for our entire country,” he added.
The CAAP was created
on March 4, 2008 through Republic Act 9497 renaming the Air Transport Office as
Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and mandating it to perform the
following ---inspection and registration of all aircrafts owned and operated in
the Philippines and all facilities as well as for the enforcement of laws governing
air transportation; operate and maintain national airports, air navigational
and other similar facilities and; determine the charges and rates for the
operation of public air utility facilities.
Joining the President
were Hotchkiss III, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya and
CAAP Deputy Director General John Andrews. PND (rck)
President Aquino
orders Social Cabinet Cluster to 'draw up a substitute measure' that Congress
may use to pass Magna Carta for the Poor
President Benigno S.
Aquino III has directed the Social Cabinet Cluster (Human Development and
Poverty Alleviation) to draw up a “substitute measure” that will be submitted
to Congress which it may use as reference towards drafting a Magna Carta for
the Poor.
In an interview after
keynoting the 5th Anniversary of the Civil Aviation Authority of the
Philippines in Pasay City on Monday, the President said he wanted a substitute
measure formed after he vetoed a previously drafted Charter for the Poor citing
the improbability of the government meeting its demands.
Under the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), a
multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December
16, 1966, the Philippines, as a signatory, joins 160 other countries in
committing to work towards the granting of economic, social, and cultural
rights (ESCR) to individuals, including labor rights and the right to health,
the right to education, and the right to an adequate standard of living.
The President cited
Section 4 of the ICESCR which gave the poor the right to immediately demand
“the enjoyment of which is an essential step towards poverty alleviation: a)
the right of food; b) the right to employment and livelihood; c) the right to
quality education; d) the right to shelter; and e) the right to basic health
services and medicine.”
He noted as an
example the provision of providing shelter which he said is around five million
social housing units that will cost P2.320-trillion which is the entire budget
for this year of about P2-trillion.
“So, ang buod niyan,
isa pa lang doon sa limang karapatan hindi na kayang punuin ng budget. Ngayon,
‘yung budget natin... ang pwede lang i-program off the P2-trillion is roughly
about P600-billion. Wala pa ‘yung right to food, wala pa ‘yung right to work,
wala pa ‘yung right to health, wala pa ‘yung right to education,” the President
said.
“So, ang corrective
action natin dito, dinirect (direct) natin ang social cluster to draw up a
substitute measure that we will give to the next Congress and, hopefully, that
they will act upon with haste,” he added. PND (rck)
Aquino cites late
boxing champion "Flash" Elorde for his passion and dedication in
achieving boxing excellence
President Benigno S.
Aquino III cited the late boxing champion Gabriel “Flash” Elorde for
demonstrating his passion and dedication in achieving excellence in boxing.
"Solidarity
gives us fortitude and confidence as a people. The late pugilist Gabriel
“Flash” Elorde exemplified these and other strengths. His passion and
dedication qualified him as a true winner; he stood as a rallying symbol for
the talent of our sportsmen and enlivened his milieu," the Chief Executive
in his message on the occasion of the 13th Annual Gabriel “Flash” Elorde Boxing
Awards Banquet of Champions on Monday.
Reigning World Boxing
Organization (WBO) super-bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire will receive the
Flash Elorde Memorial Belt during the awarding ceremonies on Monday night at
the Sofitel Hotel.
Other boxers who will
be honored in the annual affair are WBO and WBA flyweight king Brian Viloria,
IBF light-fly champion John Riel Casimero, WBO light-flyweight titlist Donnie
Nietes and former WBC flyweight title holder Sonny Boy Jaro.
"This event
commemorates him (Elorde) and honors the skill, discipline, and professionalism
that enable our champions to represent the best in the Filipino fighter. Our
boxers today continue to exhibit both the power and compassion that make them
the pride of the Philippines," the President said.
"Let this
occasion renew your vigor to compete in earnest, with your hearts beating in
unison for love of family, friends, and countrymen. We stand united under the
banner of integrity that has empowered us to move forward as a nation," he
added.
President Aquino
called on the country's athletes to remain united with the government in
pursuing their shared mission of equitable progress.
"For the 13th
straight year we are giving recognition to our outstanding boxers and the
people who are responsible for the development of boxing in the
Philippine," Liza Elorde, daughter-in-law of the great Gabriel “Flash”
Elorde and wife of boxing promoter Johnny Elorde, said in a statement. PND (js)
