President Aquino inaugurates Maguino-o Port
extension, passenger terminal building in Calbayog City
CALBAYOG CITY: President Benigno S. Aquino III
led the inauguration Friday of the Maguino-o Port pier extension and passenger
terminal building in this city, which is expected to boost trade and tourism in
Northern Samar and nearby areas.
In his message during the inauguration, the
President said the pier extension and bigger passenger terminal area will mean
better transport service for Calbayog City as it does business with the other
provinces.
“Malinaw ang pakinabang na hatid ng isang mas
malawak at mas modernong Maguino-o Port: mas maraming barko ang dadaong sa
inyong bayan para magdala ng iba’t ibang produkto sa inyong lalawigan; ang mga
produktong dito naman ginawa, tulad ng inyong napakasarap na tinapa, mas madali
nang mailuluwas sa iba pang lugar,” he said.
With the opening of the new facility, the
President expressed confidence that more tourists will visit Calbayog City that
will eventually mean employing more people in the tourism sector. According to
a project briefer, the Manguino-o Port was identified as an alternate port to
Calbayog Port in August 2000 because of Calbayog Port’s siltation problem that
needed dredging every three years. Located 22 kilometers from the Calbayog
Port, the Maguino-o Port is a deep water port (approximately six meters depth)
that does not require frequent dredging making it more practical for port
operators.
The government allocated P20 million for the
construction of the Maguino-o Port in 2000 and the project was completed in
October 2003. In January 2012, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) started a
P38.5-million extension of the pier and passenger terminal building of the
Maguino-o Port. Extension works were completed February 2013. The construction
of the pier and the passenger terminal increased the size of the facility from
300 sq. m. to 406 sq. m. thus increasing its seat capacity.
With the extension of the pier, the port can now
accommodate longer vessels and the construction of a bigger passenger terminal
building could provide comfortable and safe temporary shelter for passengers.
The Maguino-o Port will serve as an entry point
for passengers and cargo going to and from Calbayog City and neighboring
municipalities of Samar and Northern Samar. The port also has economic benefits
as it employs 150 people such as dock workers, delivery groups, vendors,
porters, and local transport operators.
The Maguino-o Port can handle 62,000 passengers
per year, 1,500 twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo, 500 ship calls per year
and vessels with a maximum size of 1,400 gross register tons/deadweight tons,
the project briefer said.
The facility also has a 57-meter berthing area
composed of two berths. It has a 3,000 sq.m. open-storage area and a 14.4 sq.m.
port operations building.
A shipping line operates the Cebu-Maguino-o
route three times a week, bringing 1,280 passengers and 378 metric tons of
cargo. Tramping vessels also dock at Manguino-o Port three times a month
bringing 198 tons of cargo that includes sugar, steel products, animal feed,
copra, cement and flour.
In addition to the current improvements, the
Aquino administration has spelled out other initiatives to further enhance the
port’s operations. These include the construction of a P47-million back up
area, which will be implemented from April to December 2015.
The government is also allocating P10 million
for the construction of a fence and the installation of lighting and water
supply facility. Works are expected to start in August this year and it is seen
to be completed by December this year.
Aside from the port project, the President
announced other projects in the pipeline for Samar province. These projects
include the Catbalogan Diversion Road and several other national secondary
roads in Samar and Eastern Samar. These infrastructures are part of the Samar
Road Rehabilitation Project.
Other projects also include the Samar Pacific
Coastal Road Project that connects Northern and Eastern Samar.
“Oras na matapos ang mga proyektong ito, tiyak
pong mas magiging mabilis at mas komportable ang pagbiyahe sa inyong bayan. Ang
hatid nito, kaunlarang buong-buong matatamasa ng kalakhang Samar,” the
President said. PND (as)
Malacanang says Aquino government doing its best
to ensure the safety of candidates and civilians on the campaign trail for the
May 13 elections
The Aquino government assured that it is working
hard to ensure the safety of candidates and civilians who are busy campaigning
for the May 13 national and local midterm elections as it strongly condemned
the attack on Nunungan Mayor Abdul Malik Manamparan and his companions in Lanao
del Norte on Thursday afternoon, a Palace official said.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
issued the statement during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Friday
following reports that at least 12 people died and nine were wounded in an
ambush in Lanao del Norte.
Reports said Adnani Manamparan, daughter of
Nunungan Mayor Manamparan, was among the fatalities in the attack that took
place in Barangay Malaig, Nunungan, Lanao del Norte. Mayor Manamparan was
wounded in the attack.
Manamparan, his relatives and supporters were on
their way home from a campaign sortie on board a dumptruck when they were
attacked by unidentified armed men.
Valte said the country's law enforcement
agencies had already deployed additional security personnel to secure the
candidates and civilians not only in Lanao del Norte but also in other parts of
the country.
She said the government started taking measures
to end election-related violence following the attacks on Gingoog Mayor Ruthie
Guingona and Nunungan Mayor Manamparan.
Last Monday, President Benigno S. Aquino III
vowed to find the armed group who attacked Gingoog Mayor Ruthie Guingona and
her companions and bring them to justice.
The Chief Executive, likewise, condemned the
attack perpetrated by the New People's Army (NPA) on Guingona and her
companions at a hinterland village in Misamis Oriental on Saturday night.
Valte noted that the law enforcers continue to
beef-up their efforts in implementing the gun ban to ensure free, orderly,
honest, peaceful and credible conduct of the May 13 automated national and
local elections.
The government also vowed to go after
politicians who maintain private armed groups as the country prepares for the
midterm election this May.
The campaign of the Philippine National Police
to dismantle private armed groups and account for all loose firearms continues
to make the upcoming election safe and orderly, Valte stressed. PND (js)
President Aquino orders improvement of Catarman
Airport in Northern Samar
CATARMAN, Northern Samar) President Benigno
Aquino III earned praises and cheers from the people of the municipality of
Catarman as he vowed to develop their airport, which has been ignored for
years.
In his speech during his meeting with the local
leaders and the community here, President Aquino expressed his disappointment
as he saw the condition of the terminal building at the Catarman Airport.
"Pagbaba ko sa inyo nagtaka sila kung bakit
ang tagal kong tinitingnan iyong sahig sabi ko, pansinin ninyo wala nang
pavement puro bato na ang nakikita. Tarmac ito dapat patag. At sabi ni Northern
Samar Governor Paul Daza, '40 years na pong hindi pinakialaman iyan,'" he
said.
Upon seeing the physical condition of the
airport, the President said he will immediately order Department of
Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Emilio "Jun" Abaya
to prioritize the airport's improvement.
"Anyway mamaya po pagtapos ko dito
kakausapin ko si Secretary Abaya, palagay ko panahon na para pansinin natin
itong airport na ito. Huwag naman iyong terminal lang isama na rin natin ang
pavement," he said.
The President underscored the importance of
developing airport facilities to attract more tourists.
He expressed optimism that the Department of
Tourism (DOT) would be able to meet its target of 56 million tourist arrivals
by 2016.
According to the President, Tourism Secretary
Ramon Jimenez reported to him early this week that the number of tourist
arrivals for both foreign and local during the first quarter increased by at
least 10 percent.
In February, the DOTC announced the bidding of
P7.6-million Catarman Airport Development project.
The budget will cover 128-meter asphalt overlay
for the runway and construction of a 264-meter fence. PND (jb)
Philippine government confident the UN Arbitral
Tribunal will vote that it has jurisdiction to hear the maritime issue between
the Philippines and China
The Philippine government is confident that the
five-member United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Arbitral
Tribunal will vote that it has jurisdiction to hear the territorial and
maritime issue between the Philippines and the People's Republic of China
(PROC) when it convenes hopefully by July this year, Foreign Affairs Secretary
Albert del Rosario said.
Secretary del Rosario issued the statement
during the press briefing in Malacanang on Friday after the International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has appointed the remaining three
members of the five-member Arbitral Tribunal that will hear the Statement of
Claim filed by the Philippines against China on the West Philippine Sea.
International TribunalPresident Shunji Yanai
transmitted a letter dated April 24, 2013 to Solicitor General Francis H.
Jardeleza, Head of the Philippine Legal Team, informing the Philippines of the
appointment to the Arbitral Tribunal of Jean-Pierre Cot of France, Chris Pinto
of Sri Lanka and Alfred Soons of The Netherlands.
The ITLOS President earlier appointed Stanislaw
Pawlak of Poland as the second member of the Tribunal. The Philippines
nominated Mr. Rüdiger Wolfrum of Germany to the Tribunal in its Notification
and Statement of Claims of January 22, 2013.
Pinto will stand as the president of the panel.
With the completion of the arbitration panel,
del Rosario said it does not mean that the trial regarding the West Philippine
Sea dispute will soon proceed.
He explained that the five members of the
Arbitral Tribunal are expected to convene this coming July to organize
themselves and establish the rules and regulations.
The members of the tribunal would have to
discuss among themselves to determine if they have jurisdiction to hear the
West Philippine Sea dispute.
Del Rosario, however, said the Philippine
government is confident that the five members of the Arbitral Tribunal will
vote in favor of the Philippines' position that the tribunal has jurisdiction
to hear the territorial and maritime issue between the Philippines and China.
President Benigno S. Aquino III joined other
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders in calling for a
peaceful resolution to the South China Sea situation as the regional bloc said
it looked forward to “continued engagement” with China in implementing the
Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in a “full
and effective manner.”
The ASEAN leaders issued their stand in the
widely discussed issue during the issuance of the Chairman’s statement
delivered during closing ceremonies of the 22nd ASEAN Summit on Thursday.
Brunei Darussalam, through its Royal Highness
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, is the Chair of this year’s ASEAN Summit.
"And we think that the chair had managed
the meeting very well by placing the South China Sea, which he called a very
important topic that should be discussed to be able to ensure peace, security
and stability in a region. The first intervention was actually provided by
President Aquino himself, and the position we took was we are advocating a
rules-based approach based on two components. These components being one, the
DOC and the COC (Code of Conduct); and two is the arbitration," del
Rosario said.
"What has developed is that there is a
discussion in terms of a meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers with the Foreign
Minister of China, which will be held in Beijing, I think, in the second half
of this year. And there is a proposal from Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra
of Thailand that there should be an ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting prior to
going to Beijing to be able to manifest solidarity," he said. PND (js)
President Aquino underscores importance of unity
between local, national leaders in pushing for administration programs
CATARMAN, Northern Samar) President Benigno
Aquino III on Friday reminded the people here of the importance of unity and
cooperation between local and national leaders to help his administration in
pushing for programs and initiatives that will benefit the province.
In his speech during a meeting with the local
leaders and the community at Freedom Park in Barangay Acacia here, President
Aquino stressed the need of electing local officials who support his commitment
to good governance to ensure the implementation of various programs for the
Nortehanons.
"Kung nasa iisang pahina ng maayos na
pagseserbisyo ang lokal at pambansang pamahalaan, wala naman sigurong
makakadiskaril pa sa ating pag-usad," he said.
Among the projects he cited were the completion
of farm-to-market roads and irrigation projects for at least 6,500 farmers of
the towns of Catarman, Allen, Lavezares, Gamay, Mapanas, Palapag, Rosario, San
Isidro, Victoria, Catubig, San Jose, Mondragon, Bobon, and San Roque.
He also mentioned the Catarman Flood Control
Project, which will protect homes in Barangay Ipil, Sampaguita and Abad Santos
from flashfloods during typhoons.
The President likewise cited the Samar Pacific
Coastal Road, which will connect Northern and Eastern Samar; and the ongoing
rehabilitation of a 220-kilometer road that connects Samar and Eastern Samar.
"Kongkretong patunay ang mga kalsadang ito
sa ating mithiin na malawakang pag-unlad para sa buong Isla ng Samar; sa
pagsusulong ng tuloy-tuloy, mas ligtas at mas mabilis na daloy ng serbisyo sa
inyong mga komunidad," he said.
"Malinaw ang hangad natin sa mga proyekto
ng tuwid na daan --- tapusin ang nakasanayang kultura ng pagkakanya-kanya at
pagsasamantala, at magbunsod ng pangmatagalang ginhawa sa mas nakakarami nating
kababayan," he added.
The President thanked the people of Northern
Samar for supporting him when he ran for Senator and President noting he wants
them to be the first one to feel the progress and change the administration has
done for the country. But he noted that it could only be achieved should they
elect the right officials who would affirm his commitment to tread a straight
path.
"Kaya kung pupuwede po... damihan na natin
ang ating mga katulong sa pagbagtas nitong ating tuwid na daan para naman
mapabilis ang arangkada natin tungo sa gusto nating paroonan," he asked.
PND (jb)
Aquino underscores tremendous tourism potentials
of Samar
CALBAYOG CITY: The province of Samar has a great
potential in tourism and electing leaders aligned with the administration would
make it easy for the province to tap this potential.
In his message during his meeting with local
Samar leaders and the community, the President said tourism has been the major
growth driver for Region 8.
He said that in 2010, the province posted
140,000 tourist arrivals but in 2011, it rose to more than 360,000 in 2011,
tripling the number in a one-year period.
“Tiyak ko pong habang tinutukan natin ang
imprastuktura sa inyong rehiyon ay dadami pa lalo ang mga turistang namumula’t
sa kagandahan ng Samar,” the President said.
The President also mentioned a beautiful place
in Bgy. Malahog in Calbayog City where a tall rock formation stands at the
mouth of a river going out to the sea. He said the area is a potential tourist
destination.
He said he’ll ask Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez
to coordinate with investors who are willing to put their money to develop the
area and make it a tourism destination.
The chief executive also mentioned the P38.5
million Manguino-o Port pier expansion and passenger terminal building here in
Calbayog City that is expected to boost tourism and trade.
The government is focusing in developing the
country’s tourism sector because it is considered as one of the growth drivers
and as such plays a major role in job generation.
Overall, the country has a tremendous potential
in the tourism sector, the President said. The government originally targeted
35 million tourist arrivals by 2016, but in 2011 the government already
surpassed the target by generating 37 million tourists. The current target for
2016 is 56 million, the President said.
In the past, Samar areas weren’t working
together to lift the province collectively and this limits its progress, the
President said.
This is the goal of the Samar Road
rehabilitation project that aims to build and rehabilitate more than 220
kilometers of road that will connect Samar and Eastern Samar as well as the
Samar Pacific Coastal road that in turn connects Northern and Eastern Samar.
“Oras na makumpleto ang mga ito giginhawa ang
daloy ng kalakalan at paghahatid ng mga serbisyong panlipunan. Ang resulta ---
dere-deretso at malawakang pag-asenso sa buong isla ng Samar.”
“Sa huli po, lahat ng mga hakbang na isinasagawa
natin sa tuwid na daan ay nakatindig pa rin sa iisang diwa. Hinahatid natin sa
taumbayan ang pamahalaang inuuna ang kanilang kapakanan sa halip na ang uri ng
pamumunong sarili lang ang iniintindi,” he added.
The President arrived in Samar Friday morning to
inaugurate the Manguino-o Port and rally support for the administration’s
candidates this coming May 13 polls. PND (as)
