President Aquino declares July 4 as special
non-working day in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental in celebration of its 46th
Charter Day
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
July 4, which falls on a Thursday, as a special (non-working) day in Cadiz City
in the province of Negros Occidental in celebration of its 46th Charter Day.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 606 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on June 18, to give the people of Cadiz the full opportunity to celebrate and
participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
On July 4, 1967, Cadiz was inaugurated as a city
by virtue of Republic Act 4894.
Cadiz City is a gateway and premier center of
agro-fishery resources of Negros Island. PND (js)
President Aquino appoints new judges to lower
courts
President Benigno S. Aquino III has appointed
new judges to the lower courts, a Palace official announced.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
announced the appointments during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on
Friday.
In a transmittal letter dated June 19 to Chief
Justice Maria Lourdes P. Sereno, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
informed her that the President has signed the appointment letters of 18 new
judges.
President Aquino appointed Judge Cicero Tuazon
Lampasa as presiding judge of Kalibo, Aklan Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch
2, Judge Altone M. Miralles of Tacloban City, Leyte RTC Branch 8, Judge Girlie
Borrel-Yu of Ormoc City, Leyte RTC Branch 35, Judge Nathaniel E. Baldono of
Borongan, Eastern Samar RTC Branch 2 and Judge Mercedita G. Dadole-Ygnacio of
Mandaue City, Cebu RTC Branch 28.
The other presidential appointees as follows:
- Judge Rene D. Romero Jr. as presiding judge of
Ormoc City, Leyte Municipal Trial Court in Cities
- Judge Estefanie R. Plaza as presiding judge of
Burauen, Leyte Municipal Trial Court
- Judge Ritchie B. Reyes as presiding judge of
Daram-Zumarraga, Samar 8th Municipal Circuit Trial Court
- Judge Allan Sixto de Guia Estudillo as
presiding judge of Gandara-Matuguinao, San Jorge, Samar 3rd Municipal Circuit
Trial Court
- Judge Fiel Ilumba Marmita as presiding judge
of San Julian -Sulat, Eastern Samar 4th Municipal Circuit Trial Court
- Judge Gorgonia Pineda-Encina as presiding
judge of Capul-San Vicente, Northern Samar 9th Municipal Circuit Trial Court
- Judge Reberna Balading Quibal as presiding
judge of Catubig-Las Navas, Northern Samar 4th Municipal Circuit
Trial Court
- Judge Terso Y. Ducentes as presiding judge of
Macrohon-Padre Burgos-Limasawa, Southern Leyte 1st Municipal Circuit Trial
Court
- Judge Laebeth Lungay Varquez as presiding
judge of Tagbilaran City Bohol Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 1
- Judge Yvette Christine R. Labrador-Soleng as
presiding judge of Loay-Albuquerque-Baclayon Bohol 13th Municipal Circuit Trial
Court
- Judge Maria Corazon Calimbayan Gadugdug as
presiding judge of Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental Municipal Trial Court in
Cities Branch 2
- Judge Leah Partosa as presiding judge of
Pamplona-Amlan-San Jose, Negros Oriental 1st Municipal Circuit Trial Court and
- Judge Ma. Katrina Cabalde Gonzalez as
presiding judge of Manjuyod-Ayungon-Bindoy, Negros Oriental 2nd Municipal
Circuit Trial Court. PND (js)
Palace to consider proposals of holding regular
regional Cabinet meetings
Malacanang will consider the proposal of holding
Cabinet meetings in different regions in the country to bring the government
closer to the people as proposed by some legislators.
A lawmaker has urged President Aquino to hold
Cabinet meetings in different regions every other month. Another lawmaker proposed
earlier to hold Senate sessions four months in a year each in Visayas, Mindanao
and Luzon.
In the press briefing in Malacanang on Friday,
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said they will raise the issue
to the President to know if he’ll agree to the proposal.
The Palace has to look at this because it will
entail logistical issues, she said.
Without such arrangements however, Valte said
the Aquino government has not forgotten in going to far-flung areas to reach
the people.
Members of the Cabinet has been regularly
visiting different areas in the country to know their needs and views for more
effective governance.
“Meron ding elemento na ilapit at iyong mga
kalihim natin, even on their own, pumupunta sila sa iba’t ibang probinsiya, may
mga regional offices sila lalo na at may mga proyektong kailangang
ipa-implement doon,” Valte said.
“Sa pamamagitan ng paglabas ng mga kalihim
natin, sa tingin namin ay nailalapit din naman nila iyong national government
doon sa mga localities na kanilang pinupuntahan,” she said.
Valte said President Aquino not only visits the
National Capital Region (NCR) but also goes to other areas in the country
because he wants to listen to the people and make them feel the presence of
government.
“The President really goes out because he wants
to listen… He wants to see the people, he wants to listen to them at para
iparamdam naman sa kanila iyang presence ng national government,” she said. PND
(as)
Administration making progress in eliminating
red tape, says Palace
Malacanang has acknowledged that eliminating or
minimizing red tape in government is still a challenge but the country has been
making progress.
It was reported that the country’s Asean
neighbors were able to post significant gains in fighting red tape in their
respective bureaucracies.
The government is exerting efforts to ensure
that local government units comply with the Anti-Red Tape Act, Deputy
Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a press briefing in Malacanang
on Friday.
“Kailangan diyan; isa ‘yung Citizen’s Charter.
So ngayon mino-monitor natin ‘yung compliance nila (LGUs) by way of what we
call the Anti-Red Tape Act report card survey,” Valte said.
With the report card survey, the public can now
check whether their respective municipalities comply with the Anti-Red Tape
Act, she said.
Valte also reported that based on the latest
government data there are 317 LGUs with “excellent” ratings on their report
cards, 309 rated as “good”, 60 “acceptable”, and 36 getting “fail” mark.
“Ang inaasahan natin ay magsikap ‘yang ating mga
LGU para lahat sila ay excellent na sa kanilang Anti-Red Tape report card,” she
said.
Among the Aquino administration’s reform agenda
are fighting corruption and reforming the bureaucracy for more efficient
government functions. Eliminating red tape in government would mean improved
business conditions and more effective service to the people. PND (as)
President Aquino swears in members of the House
of Representatives who won in the May 13 elections
Members of the House of Representatives who won
during the May 13 polls took their oath of office before President Benigno S.
Aquino III at the Rizal Hall of the Malacanang Palace Friday.
Lawmakers taking their oaths came from the
Liberal Party and its coalition partners the Nacionalista Party (NP),
Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and National Unity Party (NUP).
Those who came from the LP include Rep. Henedina
Abad, Lone District, Batanes; Rep. Ansaruddine Adiong, 1st District, Lanao del
Sur; Rep. Rommel Amatong, 2nd District, Compostela Valley; Rep. Alfredo
Abelardo Benitez, 3rd District, Negros Occidental; Rep. Joaquin Chipeco Jr., 2nd
District, Laguna; Rep. Antonio Rafael del Rosario, 1st District, Davao del
Norte; Rep. Ben Evadone, Lone District, Eastern Samar; Rep. Rosenda Ann Ocampo,
6th District, Manila;
Rep. Mary Anne Pernes, Lone District, Siquijor;
Rep. Rene Relampagos, 1st District Bohol; Rep. Czarina Umali, 3rd District,
Nueva Ecija; and Rep. Ma. Carme Zamora, 1st District, Compostela Valley.
Lawmakers coming from the NP were Rep. Harlin
Abayon, 1st District, Northern Samar; Rep. Raneo Abu, 2nd District, Batangas;
Rep. Mercedes Cagas, 1st District, Davao del Sur; Rep. Lino Edgardo Cayetano,
2nd District, Taguig City; Rep. Rodolfo Farinas, 1st District, Ilocos Norte;
Rep. Ana Cristina Go, 2nd District, Isabela; Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr.,
1st District, Cebu; Rep. Henry Oaminal, 2ndDistrict, Misamis Occidental; Rep.
Carlos Padilla, Lone District, Nueva Vizcaya; and Rep. Mark Villar, Lone
District, Las Pinas.
The NPC representatives were Rep. Mercedes
Alveres, 6th District, Negros Oriental; Rep. Ma. Zernaida Angping, 3rd District,
Manila; Rep. George Arnaiz, 2nd District, Negros Oriental; Rep. Erico Aristotle
Aumentado, 2nd District, Bohol; Rep. Enrique Cojuangco, 1stDistrict, Tarlac;
Rep. Joel Roy Duavit, 1st District, Rizal; Rep. Napoleon Dy, 3rd District,
Isabela; Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo, 2nd District, Lanao del Norte; Rep. Imelda
Dimaporo, 1st District, Lanao del Norte; Rep. Wilfredo Mark Enverga, 1st
District, Quezon;
Rep. Conrado Estrella, partylist, Abono; Rep.
Weslie Catchalian, partylist, Alay Buhay; Rep. Douglas Hagedorn, 3rd District,
Palawan; Rep. Jeffrey Khonghun, 1st District, Zambales; Rep. Josephine
Veronique Lacson-Noel, Lone District, Malabon; Rep. Scott Davies Lanete, 4th
District, Masbate; Rep. Evelio Leonarda, Lone District, Bacolod; Rep. Mark
Leandro Mendoza, partylist, An Waray; Rep. Francisco Emmanuel Ortega III,
partylist, An Bono; Rep. Isidro Rodriguez Jr., 2nd District, Rizal;
Rep. Rogelio Neil Roque, 4th District, Bukidnon;
Rep. Angelina Tan, 4th District, Quezon; Rep. Felix William Fuentebella, 4th
District, Camarines Sur; Rep. Milagrosa Tan, 2nd District, Western Samar; Rep.
Pryde Henry Teves, 3rd District, Negros Oriental; Rep. Sherwin Tugna,
partylist, CIVAC; and Rep. Arthur Yap, 3rd District, Bohol.
The NUP lawmakers were Rep. Magnolia Rosa Antonino-Nadres,
4th District, Nueva Ecija; Rep. Frederick Abueg, 2nd District, Palawan; Rep.
Elpidio Barganza Jr., 4th District, Cavite; Rep. Ma. Theresa Bonoan-David, 4th
District, Manila; Rep. Frenedil Castro, 2nd District, Capiz; Rep. Leo Rafael
Cueva, 2nd District Negros Occidental; Rep. Enrique Garcia, 2nd District,
Bataan; Rep. Arnulfo Go, 2nd District, Sultan Kudarat; Rep. Antonio Lagdameo
Jr., 2nd District, Davao del Norte; Rep. Evelyn Mellana, 2nd District, Agusan
del Sur; Rep. Damian Mercado, Lone District, Southern Leyte; Rep. Karlo Alexie
Nograles, 1st District, Davao; Rep. Emil Ong, 2nd District, Northern Samar;
Rep. Gavini Pancho, 2nd District, Bulacan; Rep. Ma. Valentina Plaza, 1st
District, Agusan del Sur; Rep. Benhur Salimbangon, 4th District, Cebu; Rep. Ma.
Victoria Sy-Alvarado, 1st District, Bulacan; and Rep. Randolph Teng, 3rd
District, Cagayan. PND (as)
Palace says Criminal Code Committee started
reviewing Revised Penal Code to ensure relevance of penal statutes
The Criminal Code Committee started reviewing
the Revised Penal Code (RPC) to ensure that the country's penal statutes are
still relevant to the people, a Palace official said.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Friday that experts
from different government agencies and civil society groups constituting the
Criminal Code Committee started convening regularly to study if there is a need
to draft a new criminal code.
"At this point, the Criminal Code Review
Committee is still in the stage of studying Book Two of the Revised Penal Code.
‘Ang Book One po kasi ang mga general principles in criminal law. Pangalawa po,
ang Book Two, ang mga mismong offenses o ‘yung mga felonies na tinatawag po
natin," Valte said.
"Parang 1901 pa po yata nailabas ang
Revised Penal Code so medyo marami po doon mga outdated na o napag-iwanan na po
ng panahon. At ang kanilang layunin ay para mahanap ang mga best approaches to
address ‘yung mga social issues natin that are presently criminalized,"
Valte said.
The Criminal Code Committee has adhered to the
principle that the most effective way of ensuring the responsiveness of our
criminal justice system is to make our penal statutes relevant and meaningful
to the people.
Since its inception in April 2011, the members
of the Criminal Code Committee have been working tirelessly to fulfill its
task. The Criminal Code Committee is on track in coming up with the draft of a
new Criminal Code that will hopefully improve the administration of justice in
the country.
The Criminal Code Committee is spearheaded by
key justice sector agencies including the Supreme Court, Philippine National
Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Immigration, Public
Attorney's Office, Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, Office of the
Solicitor General, Parole and Probation Administration and Land Registration
Authority. PND (js)
