Aquino declares March 8 as special non-working
day in Compostela Valley in celebration of 15th Foundation Day
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
March 8, which falls on a Friday, as a special non-working day in the province
of Compostela Valley in celebration of its 15th Foundation Day.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration by
virtue of Proclamation No. 553 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa
Jr. on February 21, to give the people of Compostela Valley the full
opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occassion.
The province, called Comval for short, used to
be part of Davao del Norte until it was made independent in 1998 by virtue of
Republic Act No. 8470. The law was subsequently ratified through a plebiscite
conducted in the 22 municipalities of the province. PND (js)
President Aquino appoints Contreras as Associate
Justice of the Court of Appeals
President Benigno S. Aquino III has appointed
Roxas City regional trial court (RTC) judge Edward B. Contreras as Associate
Justice of the Court of Appeals (CA), a Palace official said.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda announced
the appointment of Contreras during the regular press briefing at Malacanang on
Tuesday. Contreras replaced Associate Justice Abraham I. Borreta.
Born in Panay, Capiz, Contreras obtained the
degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1979 from the University of the
Philippines-Iloilo. In 1987, he graduated Bachelor of Laws from the University
of Sto. Tomas. He was admitted to the Bar in 1990.
His career in the Judiciary started when he
worked as Pasig RTC court interpreter from 1984 to 1986. He served as the confidential
assistant at the CA (1988 -1989) and court attorney at the Supreme Court
(1990-1993).
Contreras was appointed as the provincial
administrator of the Capiz Provincial Capitol from 1993 to 1997. He was
designated as the Presiding Judge of the Municipal Circuit Trial Court from
1997 to 1999 and the Municipal Trial Court in Cities-Roxas City from 1999 to
2002
Contreras served as presiding judge of the Roxas
City RTC Branch 17 since 2002 until he was named as CA Associate Justice. He
taught corporation law at Filamer Christian College from 1996 to 1997 and
Administrative Law at the Colegio dela Purisima Concepcion from 2001 to 2002.
The Chief Executive also appointed Julianito G.
Bucayan Jr. as Transportation and Communications Undersecretary, co-terminus
with the appointing authority.
He obtained the degree of Bachelor of Science in
Applied Science (major in Operations Analysis) from the United States Naval
Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, United States of America (USA) in 1985 and
Master of Science in Computer Science from the Ateneo Graduate School in 1995.
He worked as Division Head of the Information
Systems Division, Armed Forces and Police Mutual Benefit Association (June
2008-June 2011), Department Head/Assistant Department Head, Management
Information Systems Department, Armed Forces of the Philippines
(AFP)-Retirement and Separation Benefits System (June 1998-May 2008), member of
the Technical Working Group, Philippine Navy Modernization Board (Sept.
1996-June 1998) and the Office of the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff for
Intelligence, AFP-Philippine Navy (1993-1998).
He served as the vice president of Business
Development, Philcox Philippines, Inc. from July 2011 until his appointment to
the Department of Transportation and Communications. PND (js)
Palace says Sabah standoff not a stumbling block
to ASEAN integration
The Aquino administration doesn’t see the
ongoing standoff in Lahad Datu in Sabah a hindrance for the realization of a
single community by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by
December 2015.
The regional grouping agreed last year during a
summit in Cambodia to realize the ASEAN Community by 2015.
President Benigno S. Aquino III and Malaysian
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak have been in touch with each other on the
Sabah crisis and both are working to resolve the issue at the soonest possible
time, Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing in
Malacanang on Tuesday.
“Hindi po magiging sagabal ito [Sabah]. Nakita
natin at the highest level, nag-usap na si Prime Minister Najib at saka ang
Pangulong Aquino. Hindi namin ito nakitang isang obstacle,” Lacierda told
reporters.
Lacierda said the administration doesn’t believe
the Sabah issue would be an obstacle to the ASEAN's goal of achieving a single
community by 2015.
The President’s perspective is much broader and
he cares not only for the 180 people holed up in Lahad Datu, the Palace
spokesman said.
“He cares not only for the 800,000 Filipinos in
Sabah, he also has to be concerned with the interest of the 95 million
Filipinos here in the Philippines. We have a national interest to protect and
to promote.”
The ASEAN Community will be based on three
pillars, namely, a security community, an economic community and a
socio-cultural community. PND (as)
