Malacanang reiterates call for Filipinos to go
out and vote
Malacanang reiterated its call for Filipinos to
exercise their right of suffrage by going out tomorrow (May 13) and
participating in the 2013 midterm elections.
In a press briefing aired over government-run
radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail
Valte called on Filipinos to choose the next set of leaders of the country.
“We reiterate our appeal to everybody to go out
and exercise your right to suffrage and your right to vote. So please go out,
exercise your right to vote, and guard your votes well,” Valte said.
She said President Benigno S. Aquino III would
cast his vote at his hometown of Tarlac tomorrow morning, and then would
closely monitor the proceedings as the day progresses.
“Pagbukas pa lang po ng mga presinto,
magmo-monitor na po ang Pangulo. Kahit naman po maghihintay siya para bumoto ay
patuloy pa naman po ang pagpasok ng mga monitoring updates sa Pangulo through the
various heads of the agencies that are assisting the COMELEC in the conduct of
the elections,” Valte said. PND (rck)
Palace allays fears of widespread cheating on
election day
Malacanang allayed fears that widespread
cheating would occur on election day, saying it had already tasked the Armed
Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to safeguard the
sanctity of the ballot on May 13.
In a press briefing aired over government-run
dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Sunday, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said law enforcement agencies were “ready to carry out the instructions of
President Benigno S. Aquino III that we must have peaceful, credible, safe and
honest elections.”
“That was the last word to them at the ending of
the command conference that we had last week,” Valte said.
“Again from the side of the Executive, the PNP
and the AFP have been deputized to make sure that the elections that we will
have on Monday will be credible and will be peaceful. They will be on the lookout
for anybody who would wish to have opposite results,” she added.
“The law enforcement agencies are well aware of
the assistance that we are mandated to provide the Comelec,” Valte noted. PND
(rck)
Palace regrets loss of life in the recent shooting
incident off Batanes waters
Malacañang on Sunday conveyed its deepest
sympathies to the bereaved family of the lone fatality in the Thursday’s
shooting incident between the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and a Taiwanese
fishing vessel that was reportedly poaching in Philippine waters off the
Batanes group of islands.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said in a statement that Mr. Antonio Basilio, Resident Representative of the
Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan, has already visited the family
of the victim, extended condolences, and offered his apologies on behalf of the
Philippine government.
“As the Philippine Coast Guard has stated, we
express our heartfelt sorrow on the unfortunate situation that occurred during
one of the anti-illegal fishing patrols conducted by a Philippine fishery law
enforcement vessel (MCS 3001) within the maritime jurisdiction (waters off the
Batanes group of islands) of the Philippines on the morning of May 9, which
tragically resulted in the death of a fisherman from one of the fishing vessels
reportedly poaching in the area,” Valte’s statement said.
“The investigation has commenced with the
arrival of the commander of MCS 3001 and that he, together with the crew, have
been relieved of their duties,” she added.
Valte said the Philippine Coast Guard, together
with other agencies, assures everyone that this investigation will be conducted
in an impartial, transparent and expeditious manner.
“Moving forward, relevant agencies will look
into ways to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future,” Valte
stressed.
The PCG initially reported that the incident occurred
when they tried to apprehend one of the four fishing vessels inside Philippine
archipelagic waters. They attempted to board the Taiwanese fishing boat but it
rammed into their vessel instead.
“So, nag-fire po ng warning shot, hindi pa din
daw po tumigil ‘yung mga vessels in the attempt to continuously ram the BFAR
(Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) vessel at nag-fire daw po sila ng
isa pang shot doon sa machinery portion ng ship,” described Valte of the
situation during her press briefing last Friday.
“It was an aggressive act. The ramming of the
boat into our vessel was certainly an aggressive act, so the PCG responded
accordingly. Nag-warning shot po sila, hindi po tumigil, they took the other
necessary action and, I understand, eventually disengaged after that. So let’s
see kung ano pa ang mailalabas ng investigation ng PCG,” Valte added. PND (hdc)
