President Aquino casts his vote in Tarlac
President Benigno S. Aquino III has joined
Filipino voters in casting his vote on Monday morning for this year’s midterm
elections at his hometown in Tarlac province.
The President waited for his turn to cast his
vote at Precinct 175-A at Central Azucarera de Tarlac Elementary School. He was
joined by his sisters Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Pinky Aquino-Abellada.
President Aquino, during an interview with the
members of the media after casting his vote, said that the voting process was
“fast,” adding that it was his first time to use the PCOS machine.
“Ang laking difference ‘nung 2010. As you
remember, hindi natin nagamit ‘yung PCOS machine so para tayong, for the first
time, gumagamit ng PCOS machine,” he said. “Mabilis ang proseso,” the President
said.
As to the polls' security, President Aquino
expressed satisfaction over the preparation, saying that the security services
of both the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police
(PNP) are “very proactive.”
The President also said that he had tasked PNP
Director General Alan Purisima to run through all their preparations so as to
ensure peaceful and orderly elections.
“I was in contact with the Director General of
PNP, daanan lahat ng preparations ulit, and make sure that we have done everything
possible to ensure na peaceful ang atin pong elections,” he said.
After casting his vote, President Aquino
returned to Manila to monitor the conduct of the elections throughout the
country. PND (co)
No unwanted repercussions over the death of a
Taiwanese fisherman, President Aquino says
President Benigno S. Aquino III won’t let any
unwanted repercussions to happen especially in the relations of Taiwan and the
Philippines following the death of a Taiwanese fisherman who figured in a
ramming incident against the Philippine Coast Guard recently.
The President confronted the issue right after
casting his vote in Tarlac amid reports that Taiwan is mulling sanctions
against the Philippine government, including the possible freeze hiring of
overseas Filipino workers and recalling its representative to the country.
In a brief interview, President Aquino said that
such was not what the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) had reported
to him and it wouldn’t help either if the parties involved were to give
comments that would only further escalate the tension.
“Hindi ganoon ang nire-report sa atin ng MECO.
‘Pag magko-comment tayo on that level, gina-guarantee natin na mag-e-escalate
ang issue. So, I think, it is in the interest of both parties to proceed on a
calm basis. So we are proceeding on that manner,” the President said.
President Aquino also noted that the commander
of the Coast Guard vessel who was involved in the incident, as well as the
Taiwanese fisherman’s death, shall be investigated and all processes will be
reviewed.
“The commander of the Coast Guard vessel is in
Manila already. He will either be or already undergoing an investigation. There
was a death, so ire-review kung tama ang lahat ng naging proseso,” he said.
President Aquino added that the Department of
Foreign Affairs is already in touch with their counterparts in Taiwan to
precisely ensure that the incident won’t have repercussions not wanted by any
sector or any group.
“I asked the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to
monitor but the lead person has to be MECO because of the One China policy,” he
said. PND (hdc)
President Aquino to seek justice for mayoral
candidate gunned down last May 6
President Benigno S. Aquino III vowed on Monday
to seek justice for a Tarlac town mayoral candidate who was gunned down last
May 6 in San Jose, Tarlac.
In an interview after casting his vote at
Precinct 175-A at Central Azucarera de Tarlac Elementary School, the Chief
Executive assured that the law enforcers are now looking for the murder
suspects of San Jose town mayoral candidate Rudy Abella to bring them to
justice.
“I was following it up precisely, sabi ko,
matagal ng walang violence dito sa Tarlac. So they have a suspect," the
President said.
"I understand they have witnesses also that
will buttress the case once this person is captured. There are ongoing
operations to bring the perpetrators to justice," he noted.
President Aquino said the Philippine National
Police (PNP) is now digging deeper to establish the real motive behind the
killing of the 73-year-old mayoral candidate.
"Mahirap naman ‘yung speculation... kasi
the angle that they are looking into precisely is more of a personal nature,
dating back several years," he stressed.
Reports showed that Abella, president of the
Association of Barangay Captains and mayoral candidate running under the
Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) was shot dead by motorcycle-riding
men during a campaign sortie in Sitio Sta. Cruz, Barangay Iba in San Jose last
Monday.
Abella had just gone down the stage to listen to
the speeches of his party mates when he was shot several times with a
.45-caliber pistol and 9-mm revolver. A civilian, Marites Pineda, was hit by a
stray bullet. PND (js)
