President Aquino declares July 1 as special
non-working holiday in Moncada, Tarlac in celebration of 138th Foundation Day
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
July 1, which falls on a Monday, as a special (non-working) day in the
municipality of Moncada in the province of Tarlac in celebration of its 138th
Foundation Day.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 594 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on June 6 to give the people of Moncada the full opportunity to celebrate and
participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
Moncada, formerly called Barrio San Ramon,
became a municipality by virtue of a proclamation issued by Don Julian Ocon,
the Spanish Military General of Tarlac province on July 1, 1875.
The new municipality was named Moncada. PND (js)
Aquino holds National Economic and Development
Authority Board meeting in Malacanang
President Benigno S. Aquino III convened the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board in Malacanang on
Wednesday to discuss plans and projects that will be beneficial to the economic
progress of the Philippines.
In a press briefing in Malacanang, Presidential
Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the Board will be coming out with a list
of ICC (Investment Coordination Committee)-approved projects as soon as the
board meeting adjourns.
“Just to inform you, the President is holding a
NEDA board meeting today. The NEDA board meeting is ongoing. The NEDA board is
supposed to approve several ICC-approved projects. We will let you know the
list of NEDA board approved projects after the whole meeting is over,” Lacierda
said.
This is the second NEDA board meeting the
President has convened this year. The first was on January 18 where two
public-private partnership projects and three rural infrastructure projects
worth P146.83-billion were approved.
These PPP projects are: the Cavite-Laguna
Expressway and the North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway Connector Road
while the rural infrastructure are the Cordillera Highlands Agricultural
Resources Management Project, the Pasa River Dam Project in Isabela, and for
the continuation of the anti-poverty program Kapit Bisig Laban sa
Kahirapan-Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Service (KALAHI-CIDSS) of
the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
President Aquino sits as chairman of the NEDA
Board while NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan sits as Vice Chair.
Members to the Board include Vice President
Jejomar Binay as chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating
Council, and Secretaries of the Departments of Budget, Finance, Energy,
Agriculture, Tourism, Public Works, Environment, Transportation and
Communication, Trade and Industry, Presidential Management Staff and the
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
Other members include the Governor of the Central
Bank, the Governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, the Chair of
the Mindanao Development Authority, and the president of the Union of Local
Authorities of the Philippines. PND (rck)
President Aquino declares July 2, as special
non-working day in Pasig City in celebration of its 440th Foundation Day
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
July 2, which falls on a Tuesday, as a special (non-working) day in Pasig City
in celebration of its 440th Anniversary.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 607 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on June 20 to give the people of Pasig City the full opportunity to celebrate
and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
On July 2, 1573, Pasig was declared as the
Visitacion Parish. It is the first Marian Parish in the Philippines and
probably in Asia.
The Philippine Commission Act No. 137
incorporated Pasig in the newly created Province of Rizal in June 11, 1901, and
became Its provincial capital until 1975 when the Metro Manila Commission was
created under Presidential Decree No. 824.
By virtue of Presidential Decree 824, Pasig and
the 11 other most progressive towns of Rizal namely: Las Piñas, Muntinlupa,
Taguig, Parañaque, Pateros, Makati, Mandaluyong, San Juan, Malabon, Navotas,
and Marikina were incorporated in the newly formed Metro Manila Area.
Metro Manila also included the town of
Valenzuela (formerly of Bulacan), and the four cities of Manila, Quezon,
Caloocan and Pasay.
On December 8, 1994, President Fidel V. Ramos
signed Republic Act 7829 converting the Municipality of Pasig into a highly
urbanized city. The people of Pasig ratified the cityhood through a plebiscite
on January 21, 1995. PND (js)
Government to ensure that relocated families are
prevented from returning to danger zones
The government will ensure that families
relocated to safer areas will not go back to their previous dwelling place
through strong cooperation among agencies, the Palace said on Wednesday.
In a press briefing in Malacanang, Presidential
spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government’s plan to move families to safer
areas also entails a mechanism that will ensure that they won’t re-occupy the
dangerous housing sites particularly in the cities.
The Department of the Interior and Local
Government was given an instruction to make sure that those who are relocated
will stay in safe relocations sites, he said.
The police and barangay officials will also work
together to prevent them from coming back, Lacierda said.
The Palace official said the Department of
Public Works and Highways and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority
will carry out projects in abandoned areas immediately after those families
leave.
“Sinisigurado natin na hindi na sila makakabalik
sa danger zones. ‘Yan ay mahigpit na instruction ni Pangulong Aquino, at
i-enforce ‘yan ng DILG. At saka may mga proyektong gagawin doon ang DPWH
pag-alis ng mga estero families, aayusin natin ‘yan, ng DPWH, ng MMDA,” Lacierda
told reports.
He also said the Department of Justice vowed to
go after professional squatters.
The present relocation sites will be attractive
to those contemplating to move out, he said, adding that these are very
different from previous projects that usually made families leave the sites.
Those who agree to be relocated could visit the relocation site, he said.
There are structures already in place and
families who are willing to be relocated will receive P18,000 as government
support, according to Lacierda.
But for the housing projects that are still
being constructed, the government will extend 1,500 a month or P18,000 a year
for each family to rent a decent home. They will be transferred once the
structures are completed, he said.
The Palace official also defended the
government’s plan, saying the move isn’t a band-aid solution but a long-term
one.
“Ang sabi ng iba 'band aid' ito, ang sinasabi
namin, 'first aid' ito dahil ito ay unang tulong sa ating mga pamilyang who are
in danger zones, in the esteros, in those eight major waterways,” he said.
“We need to move them out in order to make sure
that come typhoon season, hindi sila maaapektuhan. This is not the only
solution; our solution is to relocate them to decent structures off site, in
city, or near city.” PND (as)
Aquino always expects government agencies to
perform their utmost best, says official
The recent “scolding” given by President Benigno
S. Aquino III to the National Irrigation Administration led by Administrator
Antonio Nangel for its failure to meet its targets should not serve as a wake
up call for other agencies to improve performances, Presidential Spokesperson
Edwin Lacierda said.
In a press briefing in Malacanang on Wednesday,
Lacierda said from the very start, government agencies and its officials were
expected to perform “to their utmost best” in order to “deliver our
commitments” to the Filipino people.
“This is not the first time he has done it
(expressed dismay over the poor performance of a government agency). The
President is always frank and candid with respect to an agency’s
accomplishments or non-accomplishments. So, this should not be a wake up call.
From the very start, the President has said that we have six years to deliver
our commitments and he expects every agency to perform their mandate to their
utmost best,” Lacierda said.
At the 50th Anniversary of NIA yesterday held at
the NIA Open Grounds, NIA Building Complex in Diliman, Quezon City, the
President underscored the need for the NIA to work harder after it failed to
meet its target to irrigate 81,170 hectares of farmlands last year.
In his speech, the President reminded the NIA to
fulfill its mandate to develop and rehabilitate irrigation systems in support
of the administration's Rice Self Sufficiency Program and provide an adequate
level of irrigation service on a sustainable basis to help the country's farmers.
PND (rck)
Aquino government believes that relations with
Taiwan remain strong despite Balintang Channel shooting incident
The Aquino government expressed strong belief
that its relations with Taiwan remains strong despite the Balintang Channel
shooting incident, a Palace offical said on Wednesday.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in
a regular press briefing in Malacanang that both the Philippines and Taiwan
remained committed at enhancing their multi-cultural relations.
"Maganda naman po ang trato ng mga
Taiwanese sa atin.... Ang relation po natin sa Taiwan ay hindi lang dito
nakasalalay sa isang isyu. Marami pa tayong multi-cultural exchanges,"
Lacierda said.
Last May, President Benigno S. Aquino III said
the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) coordinated with their Taiwanese
counterparts to resolve the issue regarding the reported harassment and
assaults against Filipinos in Taiwan in the wake of the tension caused by the
death of a Taiwanese fisherman last May 9 off Balintang Channel.
"Hindi na po nagpatuloy ang karahasang
ginawa ‘nung nauna. Tayo po ay umaasa na magiging normal na ang ating
relasyon," Lacierda said.
The President, meanwhile, is still studying the
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) report on the Balintang Channel
incident. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima submitted to the President earlier
this month the NBI report of its investigation into the death of a Taiwanese
fishermen.
De Lima, who has jurisdiction over the NBI, said
the report recommends the filing of criminal and administration charges against
Philippine Coast Guard personnel involved in the incident.
The Philippine Coast Guard patrolling the
Balintang Channel fired what they claimed as warning shots against the
Taiwanese vessel, resulting in the death of Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-Cheng
last May. The PCG personnel said the vessel was attempting to ram their vessel.
PND (js)
