President Aquino appoints two new commissioners
of the Commission on Elections
President Benigno Aquino III has appointed two
new commissioners of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) namely, Atty. Louie
Tito F. Guia and Atty. Al A. Parreño.
The new appointments were announced by the
Office of the Presidential Spokesperson (OPS) on Thursday.
Guia and Parreño filled in the positions vacated
by Armand Velasco and Rene Sarmiento, respectively.
Guia was the Acting Director of the Legal
Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE). He has also been an International
Election Consultant to countries such as Papua New Guinea and Kenya, among
others.
Parreño, on the other hand, is presently serving
as a Board Member of the Land Transportation and Franchise Board.
"The President is confident that in
assuming their new positions as Commissioners, they will demonstrate integrity,
probity, and independence in the conduct of their duties and further strengthen
COMELEC in fulfilling its constitutional mandate to ensure free, orderly,
honest, peaceful, and credible elections," the OPS said in a statement.
Last March, President Aquino appointed election
lawyer Bernadette Sardillo and former ambassador and Lanao del Norte
Representative Macabangkit Lanto as new commissioners to the COMELEC.
Both, however, declined their appointments.
Sardillo chose to stay in her private practice while Lanto rejected his
appointment following criticisms in relation to his alleged involvement in poll
fraud in 1994. PND (jb)
President Aquino leads groundbreaking ceremony
of P335 million road upgrading project in Dipolog City
DIPOLOG CITY, Zamboanga del Norte) President
Benigno S. Aquino III led on Thursday the groundbreaking ceremony of the P335
million road upgrading project in a bid to encourage foreign and local tourists
to visit the tourist spots of the province particularly the Sungkilaw Falls.
The Chief Executive was joined by Interior and
Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas, Public Works and Highways
Undersecretary Romeo S. Momo, and other local officials at Barangay Cogon here
in Dipolog where he led the capsule laying rite that paves the way for the
start of the improvement of the 14-kilometer national road.
The 14 km road upgrading project started at the
Junction Barangay Cogon along Punta-Dansullan-Sergio Osmeña Road of the
East-West Lateral National Road.
The improvement and ugrade works for the Phase 1
of the road project started this April with an estimated cost of P69,083,864.50
million. The first phase involves the concreting of 2.887-km road that
traverses from Junction Barangay Cogon to OISCA Park (Japanese Park) in
Barangay Diwan in Dipolog City.
The government initially allocated P80 million
for the concreting of 2.887 kms. which is included in the Fiscal Year 2013
General Appropriations Act (GAA).
The Vicente T. Lao Construction, which won the
bidding, will only charge the government of some P69 million for the road
project's Phase I, thus resulting to over P11 million savings for the
government.
The first phase of the project is expected to be
completed on April 10, 2014.
The P335-M project is a Tourism Road Project
prioritized under the Department of Tourism-Department of Public Works and
Highways (DOT-DPWH) Convergence Program.
The DOT-DPWH joint program aims to provide
tourists fast, safe, and convenient travel to their destinations during their stay
in the country.
According to the DPWH, the first phase of the
project involves the upgrading of the road with a pavement width of 6.10 meters
and thickness of 0.23 meters. The said road traverses from rolling to
mountainous terrain.
The P225 million balance needed to fully pave
the remaining 11.113 kms. will be considered in the proposed DPWH 2014 budget
and succeeding budgets will be sourced from available funds.
Shortly after the groundbreaking ceremony,
President Aquino proceeded to the Dipolog City Sports Complex in Barangay
Olingan, where he met with local leaders and the community. PND (js)
Filipino in death row granted reprieve in Saudi
Arabia, Malacanang says
The government of Saudi Arabia has extended for
the second time the deadline for the payment of blood money in the case of
Joselito Zapanta in response to President Aquino’s request, Malacanang said on
Thursday.
In a press statement, Presidential Spokesman
Edwin Lacierda said the Department of Foreign Affairs informed the Palace that
the Saudi government has extended the deadline from March 12, 2013 to November
3, 2013, which coincides with the end of the current Islamic year.
“This extension allows the Zapanta family more
time to raise the funds required by the victim’s heirs,” Lacierda said as he
thanked King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi government for interceding
on Zapanta’s behalf.
Lacierda assured that the Department of Foreign
Affairs will continue providing Zapanta and his family with all the necessary
assistance.
To date, the Philippine government and the
Zapanta family have been able to raise 512,066.35 Saudi Arabian Riyals (SAR) or
P5.6 million, out of the SAR 4 million demanded by the victim’s heirs, which is
equivalent to P44 million, Lacierda said.
At the same time, the Palace official also
appealed to all kind-hearted individuals for assistance in raising the
remaining amount needed by Zapanta to pay for the blood money.
Zapanta went to Saudi Arabia in 2007 to work as
a tile-setter. In 2009 he admitted killing his Sudanese landlord and after a
court trial he was sentenced to death. PND (as)
President Aquino vows to allocate funds for
infrastructure projects in Zamboanga del Norte and other parts of the country
to attract more tourists
DIPOLOG CITY, Zamboanga del Norte) President
Benigno S. Aquino III assured on Thursday that the government intends to
allocate more funds on infrastructure projects in the province and other parts
of the country to achieve the target of 56.1 million tourists by 2016.
In his keynote speech during the groundbreaking
ceremony of the P335 million road upgrading project at Barangay Cogon here on
Thursday, the Chief Executive said his administration plans to allocate funds
for year 2014 to boost the country's tourism.
"Mula 2011 hanggang 2013, 21 billion pesos
nga ang inilaan nating pondo para sa pagpapaayos ng ating tourism roads, at
balak pa nating maglaan ng karagdagang 13 bilyong piso sa 2014 upang mas
mapabilis ang pagdaloy ng turismo’t pagkakataon sa bawat sulok ng bansa,"
the President said.
He expressed confidence that local tourism in
Zamboanga del Norte will continue to grow and play a key role in the country’s
economic growth.
"Oras na matapos ang road upgrading dito sa
Dipolog, mas mabilis at mas maginhawa nang makararating ang mga turista sa
Sungkilaw Falls, Cogon Eco-Tourism Park, o sa Oisca Park; mas sariwang mga
orkidias at isda rin mula sa Dipolog ang madadala sa iba't ibang merkado; at
pihadong mas marami pa ang ma-eengganyong dumayo rito sa inyo," the
President said.
"Ibig-sabihin, lalong makakaambag ang
Dipolog sa pag-abot sa ating target na 56.1 million domestic tourists pagdating
ng 2016," he added.
The President pointed out that the tourism
industry serves as a vehicle for job creation and development in the
countryside.
"Ngayong papalakas nang palalakas nga ang
turismo sa bansa, mas pursigido tayong itulak ang mga reporma at proyektong
maghahatid ng malawakang kaunlaran at pag-asa sa mga Pilipino. Ang plano nga
natin ay mapatag ang 7,256 na kilometro ng ating national road network,"
he stressed.
According to the President, the P335 million
road upgrading project also aims to boost the agricultural and commercial
industries in Zamboanga del Norte.
"Ang proyektong ito ay bahagi ng ating
malawakang estratehiya na paunlarin ang imprastruktura sa buong bansa, na siya
namang susi sa mas matibay na agrikultura at turismo," the President said.
"Habang pinapatag natin ang landas na
tatahakin ng mga Dipolognon, nasisiguro rin natin ang mas mabilis na pag-usad
ng mga bagong pagkakataon para sa negosyo at kabuhayan sa inyong lungsod. Ang
bunga nito ay mga oportunidad na lalong magbibigay-lakas sa buong Zamboanga
para makiambag sa pagpapalago ng ating ekonomiya," he said.
The President assured the people that the
government will continue to undertake pro-people projects to improve their
economic conditions.
"Ngayon, inilalatag natin ang pundasyon
para sa isang bansa kung saan pantay-pantay ang pagkakataon para sa bawat
Pilipino, nasa Luzon ka man, Visayas, o Mindanao. Ipagpatuloy lang natin ang
pagdilig sa mga ipinunla nating reporma, at tiyak na sa lalong madaling
panahon, mapipitas na natin ang katuparan ng ating mga pangarap," he
concluded. PND (js)
President Aquino calls on the electorate to
support administration candidates in coming midterm elections
DIPOLOG CITY, Zamboanga del Norte) President
Benigno S. Aquino III called on the Filipino people to vote wisely and choose
the candidates who would affirm his administration’s commitment to tread the
straight and righteous path in transforming the Philippines into a progressive
nation.
In his speech during a meeting with the local
leaders and the community at the Dipolog City Sports Complex in Barangay
Olingan here on Thursday, the Chief Executive said he needs good local officials
to help his administration in pushing for programs and initiatives that will
provide the Filipino citizenry with better lives.
"Ngayong papalapit na ang eleksyon, lalong
lumilinaw ang pagkakataon nating tuluyang umarangkada sa tuwid na daan. Kaya naman
diretso akong humaharap sa inyo, upang hingin ang inyong suporta: Palakasin pa
natin ang ating puwersa sa mabuting pamamahala, dagdagan pa natin ang mga tunay
na kasangga na maghahatid sa Dipolog, sa Zamboanga del Norte, at sa buong bansa
sa tunay na ginhawa," he said.
The President thanked the people of Dipolog and
other towns of Zamboanga del Norte for their overwhelming trust, confidence,
and support to his administration and assured them that he would continue to
undertake development programs that would uplift the lives of the people.
"Hindi natin puwedeng palampasin ang
pambihirang pagkakataong ito, lalo pa’t laging nandiyan ang suporta at tiwala
ninyo— mula pa nang kumandidato tayong Senador hanggang sa pagka-Pangulo. Muli,
maraming, maraming salamat sa aking mga Boss na Dipolognon, na patuloy na
nagsisilbing lakas sa pagtahak sa tuwid na landas," he said.
The President also called on the citizens to
take an active part in his administration's efforts towards progress by
choosing the right local leaders this coming May elections.
"Habang pinapalawak natin ang mga
oportunidad sa bansa, lalo nating kailangan ng mga kasangga sa lokal na
pamamahala. Tiyak na mas mararamdaman ng marami ang pagtaas ng dalawandaan at
animnapu’t walong porsyento sa budget ng DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and
Development), kung kaisa natin ang mga lokal na pinuno sa paghahatid ng
benepisyo ng ating Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program," the President
noted.
"Siguradong mararamdaman ng publiko ang
pag-angat ng budget sa DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) ng
dalawampu’t tatlong porsyento, kung may kabalikat tayo sa lungsod na tinatapos
ang mga kalsada’t tulay nang mas mabilis, mas mura at mataas ang kalidad,"
the President stressed.
The Chief Executive said that the
institutionalization of educational reforms remain his administration’s top
priority in order to improve the country's educational system.
He said the government has also started implementing
health programs aimed at improving the health of all Filipinos.
"Pihadong hindi mababalewala ang apatnapu’t
apat na porsyentong pagtaas sa budget ng DepEd (Department of Education) at
pitumpu’t walong porsyento sa DOH (Department of Health,) kung maaasahan natin
ang nasa Kapitolyo sa pagpapagawa ng mga silid-aralan at ospital sa mga
lalawigan," he said.
President Aquino, likewise, assured the people
that the government is crafting a mechanism that will boost the power sources
in Mindanao.
"Mulat din tayo sa problemang hinaharap
ninyo dito sa Mindanao ukol sa madalas na pag-brownout. Bunsod po ito ng
kakulangan sa planta na mag-susupply sa lumalagong demand ng kuryente sa inyong
rehiyon," he said.
"Para matugunan ang agarang
pangangailangan, gumawa tayo ng mga hakbang upang tulungan ang inyong electric
cooperatives na makapagpasok ng generator sets. Sa pamamagitan nito, tataas ang
produksyon at mababawasan ang mga brownout. Magtutuloy-tuloy ito sa susunod na
dalawang taon, kung kailan magiging sapat na ang mga plantang tutugon sa
pangangailangan ng isang umuunlad na Mindanao," the President noted. PND
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