President Aquino declares June 18 a special
non-working day in Kalilangan, Bukidnon in celebration of 47th Foundation Day
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
June 18, which falls on a Tuesday, as a special (non-working day) in the
municipality of Kalilangan in the province of Bukidnon in celebration of its
47th Foundation Day.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 599 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on June 14, to give the people of Kalilangan the full opportunity to celebrate
and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
On June 18, 1966, Kalilangan became a
municipality by virtue of Republic Act No. 4788. Kalilangan is a Maguindanao
word for "merry making". PND (js)
President Aquino declares June 19 as special
non-working day in Laguna in celebration of 152nd birth anniversary of Dr. Jose
Rizal
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
June 19, which falls on a Wednesday, as a special (non-working day) in the
province of Laguna in celebration of the 152nd birth anniversary of national
hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 600 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on June 14 to give the people of Laguna the full opportunity to celebrate and
participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies
Born on June 19, 1861, José Protacio Rizal
Mercado y Alonso Realonda became the most prominent Filipino nationalist for
advocating reforms through peaceful means rather than by violent revolution in
the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era.
Rizal was the seventh of eleven children and
belonged to a wealthy family in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He attended the
Ateneo Municipal de Manila and graduated Bachelor of Arts. He took up medicine
and Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas.
Rizal traveled alone to Madrid, Spain, where he
continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid and earned the
degree of Licentiate in Medicine. He also enrolled at the University of Paris
and earned a second doctorate at the University of Heidelberg.
Aside from being conversant in at least 10
languages, Rizal was a poet, essayist, diarist, correspondent, and novelist.
His most famous works were his two novels, Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo.
As a prominent political figure, Rizal was the
founder of La Liga Filipina in 1892, a civic organization that subsequently led
to the organization of Kataastaasang, Kagalanggalang na Katipunan ng mga Anak
ng Bayan led by Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo.
Rizal’s execution on December 30, 1896 made him
a martyr of the Philippine Revolution. PND (js)
Aquino signs a bill on modernization of
agriculture and fisheries sector into law
President Benigno S. Aquino III has signed into
law a bill in a bid to boost the modernization of the agriculture and fisheries
sector.
The Chief Executive signed on June 5 Republic
Act No. 10601 otherwise known as the “Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization
(AFMech) Law”.
The Act, which is a consolidation of Senate Bill
No. 3338 and House Bill No. 6548, was finally passed by the Senate and the
House of Representatives on February 4, 2013.
The law mandates the state to promote the
development and adoption of modern, appropriate and cost-effective and
environmentally-safe agricultural and fisheries machinery and equipment to
enhance farm productivity and efficiency in order to achieve food security and
safety and increase farmers’ income, the President said.
The state is mandated to provide a conducive
environment for the assembly and manufacture of engines, machinery and
equipment for agricultural and fisheries production, processing and marketing.
The state shall strengthen support services such
as credit faculties, research, training and extension programs, rural
infrastructures, postharvest facilities and marketing services.
The law, likewise, mandates the state to deliver
integrated support services to farmers, fisherfolk and other stakeholders, and
assist them to be able to viably operate and manage their agricultural and
fisheries mechanization projects.
Under the Act, the Department of Agriculture
(DA) will craft a five-year National Agri-Fishery Program to promote a
conducive-environment for the local assembling and manufacturing of equipment
for agricultural and fisheries production, processing and marketing.
The local government units, through an
ordinance, shall also formulate in consultation with the DA and implement their
respective provincial, city and municipal agricultural and fishery
mechanization plans as a vital component of their respective local development
plans.
The DA, together with the Department of Agrarian
Reform, shall carry out contiguous farming projects in order to effect suitable
field shapes and sizes conducive to efficient operation of agricultural
machinery and equipment and likewise to ensure economies of scale.
The use of renewable and nonconventional energy
such as wind, solar, hydro, biomass and other farm-based energy sources shall
be promoted as power sources for the operation and maintenance of agricultural
and fisheries machinery.
All manufacturers, fabricators, assemblers and
importers must register with the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries
Engineering (BAFE) within six months upon enactment of RA 10601.
Registrants must provide certification by an
accredited certifying body of all products sold in the market within the next
three years. Registrants must also submit to the list of local or imported
equipment within a year after the enactment of the law.
The law imposes penalties and sanctions on
prohibited acts such as sale or lease of agricultural and fishery machinery not
registered with the BAFE and without warranty, among others. Violators of the
law may face a fine ranging from P1,000 to P10,000 and imprisonment of two
months to one year.
"The Secretary of Agriculture shall include
in the DA’s program the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall
be included in the annual General Appropriations Act," the President said.
This Act shall take effect after 15 days from
its publication in the Official Gazette or 2 newspapers of general circulation.
PND (js)
