President Aquino cites action plan to
effectively curb smuggling
President Benigno S. Aquino III said on
Wednesday that the government had already come out with an action plan to
effectively curb smuggling in the country.
In an interview in Roxas City, Capiz where he
led the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Roxas City Airport Development
Project, the Chief Executive said the newly-crafted measure would solve the
problem on smuggling.
"Pero batid ni Commissioner (Ruffy) Biazon
na meron tayong mabigat na plano sa Customs... hindi pa lang napagkasunduan
‘yung timing kung kailan gagawin itong aksyon," the President said.
The President assured the public that his
administration remains committed to improve the services of the Bureau of
Customs (BOC) by enhancing the anti-smuggling efforts.
Once the action plan is implemented, the
President noted that the various smuggling activities in the country will be
solved.
"Maraming makakakita na ito’y isang
talagang malawakang solusyon sa problema ng smuggling sa bayan," he added.
The President said the action plan is also aimed
at cleansing the BOC of scalawags and misfits.
He also cited the many initiatives being
undertaken by the agency under the helm of Biazon.
"Marami ring kasong mga na-file na,
tumatakbo sa proseso, pero hintayin lang po ninyo ‘yung matagal nang
pina-planong solusyon para matiyak na lahat ng nasa Customs ay masisigurado
nating hindi tiwali," he said.
At present, the BOC is enhancing its efforts in
revenue collection by curbing smuggling activities and to provide quality
service to stakeholders with professionalism and integrity, facilitate trade in
a secured manner and adapt measures compliant to international best practices
and standards. PND (js)
Aquino vows swift legal action to recent
Tubbataha Reef grounding
The government will ensure that the country’s
laws are enforced.
Thus, said President Benigno S. Aquino III in
reaction to the recent grounding incident in Tubbataha Reef involving a Chinese
fishing vessel during an interview at the Roxas City Airport on Wednesday.
The President said the government will execute
Republic Act 10067 that states anyone entering the protected zone is considered
a poacher.
“May kaukulang mga penalties, may imprisonment,
may fine—and our job as the executive department is to execute this law,” the
President said on Wednesday.
“I think ang batas nagsasaad na ‘yung mismong
mga nahuli ang dapat managot dito. It’s a fishing vessel so it will be the
owners of the fishing vessel, among others, who will be charged,” he said when
asked if the Philippine government will press the Chinese government to take
responsibility for the Tubbataha reef incident.
The President also said the government is
planning to add more lighted buoys in the area and to expand the so-called
buffer zone to protect it from intruders.
“Palalakihin ‘yung dapat ‘huwag kayong
mag-transit near this area’ to forestall any possibility na magkaroon na naman
ng grounding incident,” he said.
The Chief Executive underscored the richness of
the biodiversity in the Tubbataha Reef, its marine ecosystem that is obviously
an attraction to divers and tourists in general.
“It is really in the national interest to
preserve this to the fullest extent possible as it’s really quite —one of the
wonders or natural wonders of the world,” the President said.
The President also said he is awaiting a Coast
Guard investigation that will shed light on the latest grounding incident and
recommend whether to add to the number of rangers guarding the area or upgrade
their equipments.
On Monday night, a Chinese fishing vessel ran
aground in the Tubbataha Reef, several days after a US minesweeper was
successfully removed from the popular marine sanctuary.
The USS Guardian, a US minesweeper, ran aground
in Tubbataha Reef on January 17. The vessel was removed on March 30 by
dismantling and by lifting it piece by piece by a crane to prevent more damage
to the reefs. PND (as)
Aquino leads ceremonial groundbreaking of Roxas
City Airport Development Project
President Benigno S. Aquino III led on Wednesday
the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Roxas City Airport Development Project
that aims to boost tourism and stimulate economic development in Roxas City and
other nearby towns in Capiz.
The groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of
two major upgrades to the Roxas Airport: the expansion and improvement of the
passenger terminal building (PTB) and the extension of the runway.
The two projects, with a combined approved
budget for contract (ABC) of P48.1-million, were advertised for bidding on
October 19, 2012 and were awarded to contractor MAC Builders on December 28,
2012, according to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).
The PTB expansion project will increase the
existing 875-sqm terminal’s size by 626 sqm, bringing up the total floor area
to 1,511 sqm and bumping up its design capacity from 153,000 passengers/year to
291,000 passengers/year.
In 2012, the total number of passengers using
the Roxas Airport hit 217,552, clearly exceeding its current capacity. The
expansion project will relieve the congestion and lay the groundwork for future
improvements.
The runway extension, on the other hand, will
lengthen the runway from 1,890 m. to 2,010 m. The additional 120 m. will
improve the safety of the Airbus A320 aircraft operating in the airport.
The two projects are part of a P215-million
upgrade budgeted by the DOTC and the Civil Aviation Authority of the
Philippines (CAAP) for Roxas Airport.
The other projects that are part of the upgrade
include the installation of night landing facilities with a budget amounting to
P91.5 million, runway asphalt overlay (P24.24 million), acquisition of new fire
truck (P33.5 million), and site acquisition (P18 million).
These remaining projects are all in various
stages of procurement.
The DOTC said the project aims to shore up the
government’s goal to have at least 10 million tourists before President Aquino
steps down in 2016, and in recognition of Roxas City as the country’s
"seafood capital" where an increasing number of local and foreign
tourists are expected to visit. PND (js)
Aquino: Roxas Airport rehabilitation to bring
regional development
President Benigno S. Aquino III led the
groundbreaking Wednesday of the Roxas Airport Development Project in Roxas City
underscoring the importance of the project for the development of the tourism
and trade in the region.
In his message during the event, the President
said the government allocated P215 million for the repair and rehabilitation of
the airport.
Among the program of works include asphalt
overlaying and runway extension, installation of night-landing facilities, fire
truck acquisition and rehabilitation of the airport’s passenger terminal
building.
Once the project is completed, the President
said the facility could accommodate 797 passengers a day, a dramatic increase
from today’s 419 passengers per day.
“Malinaw po ang layon natin: ang higit pang
patatagin ang turismo ng Capiz; ang bigyang lakas ang iba’t ibang negosyo’t
industriya; at ang itulak ang inyong probinsya sa landas ng pag-asenso’t kaunlaran,”
the President said.
“Sa pagdagsa ng mas maraming bisita sa Capiz,
dumadagsa rin ang mas maraming pagkakataon para sa mga Capizeño na itimon ang
kanilang buhay at para makiambag sa pagpapalago ng ating ekonomiya.”
The President also said the government allotted
P7.69 billion for the repair and rehabilitation of airports in the country this
year.
These developments will be enhanced by the
lifting of the Significant Safety Concerns warning by the International Civil
Aviation Organization issued previously to the Philippines, the chief executive
said.
To ensure that every flight is safe, the country
is using the Civil Aviation Safety Oversight Reporting and Tracking System as
database of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
Airlines are also now mandated to undergo
Minimum Required Annual Inspection in addition to CAAP’s Certificate Management
Department. This will ensure that all local carriers flying overseas follow
safety regulations.
With the passage of the Common Carriers Tax Act,
the President said the removal of the 3 percent tax on airlines and shipping
will encourage more tourists to come to the Philippines, thus bringing more
development to industries tied with the tourism sector.
The efficient use of P17 million for the
rehabilitation of airports, ports, roads and tourism promotion are all geared
towards opening the country to more tourists and foreign investors, according
to the chief executive.
The President also reported that with the
intense competition among local airlines the country would need additional 119
aircrafts to fill the need for more planes connecting major foreign cities and
the Philippines.
“Walang ibang hangarin ang kasalukuyang
administrasyon kundi ang pagbuksan ng pinto ang mundo para dumagsa ang mga
negosyo, turismo, at, pinakaimportante po, kabuhayan na pakikinabangan ng mga
Pilipino,” he said.
“Kung dati, nasanay tayo sa siklo ng pagsadsad
at pagkakadapa, ngayon, bumabangon na tayo at naghahandang umalpas. Ngayon,
humaharap na tayo sa isang maaliwalas na bukas. Huwag na po tayong hihinto pa;
tayo na po at iarangkada sa kaunlaran ang ating bansa,” the President added.
PND (as)
