President Aquino leads opening of exhibit
featuring former President Cory Aquino’s paintings
President Benigno S. Aquino III led the opening
of an exhibit featuring his mother, former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino’s
paintings at the Lobby Lounge and Roma Salon of the Manila Hotel on Monday.
The exhibit, aptly titled, “A Gift of Self,”
showcases around 90 paintings of the former President and pieces from the
personal collection of her daughters Ballsy Cruz and Viel Dee, Senate President
Franklin Drilon, House Speaker Sonny Belmonte, Metrobank founder George Ty and
his wife Mary, and PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan.
The President, who arrived at 6 p.m. formally
opened the exhibit by unveiling a painting of his mother by Emi Mercado and
signing a guest list canvass prepositioned near the painting.
In his speech, the President said the paintings
were a “small part of the legacy she left behind.”
“She understood how freedom was such a
fundamental requirement for human life and so she fought for it and taught
others to appreciate and care for it. She had every hope that the Philippines
could rise above the dark days of Martial Law and so she did all she could to
uplift the country and to inspire others to do the same,” the President said.
“Mom’s paintings are a very small part of the
legacy she left behind. It is a legacy we feel every day as we live and work in
a society now free from the iron fists of the dictator and from a military and
police force that existed to serve one man alone,” he added.
Joining the President were Cabinet Secretary
Rene Almendras, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Communications Secretary Herminio
Coloma, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation Chairman Cristino Naguiat,
Jr, Philippine Economic Zone Authority Director General Lilia De Lima and
Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa.
The exhibit "A Gift of Self” will run until
August 2. PND (rck)
DSWD allots P12.7-million of emergency relief
resources for flood victims in Mindanao
The Department of Social Welfare and Development
has set aside P12.7-million worth of emergency relief resources for the victims
of floodings that have hit Mindanao due to heavy rains, Malacanang said on
Tuesday.
In a press briefing in Malacanang, Deputy
Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the DSWD has also been in close
coordination with local counterparts in Mindanao to augment technical
assistance and resource augmentation (TARA) needed by the victims.
Strong rains dumped over the provinces of
Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato City over the weekend and have caused
floods and displaced more than 50,000 residents from their homes.
“The information that we have is that all DSWD
teams are already in close coordination with their local counterparts for any
request for technical assistance and resource augmentation or what we call the
TARA,” Valte said.
“The DSWD has already prepositioned P12.70-million
worth of emergency relief resources consisting of standby funds, of family food
packs, and other food items and other non-food items,” she added.
Valte pointed out that the national government
has moved to augment DSWD and LGU (local government unit) actions by providing
additional food packs for residents in the affected areas.
“The national government has provided an
augmentation of 6,000 food packs for DSWD-ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao) and that DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman has approved the release of
additional 30,000 food packs for Maguindanao and for Sarangani,” Valte said.
PND (rck)
DOLE wrapping up investigation of
'sex-for-flight' scheme, says Palace
Malacanang assured that justice will be served
and reforms will be carried in handling distressed overseas Filipinos workers
allegedly being victimized by Filipino personnel abroad particularly in the
Middle East.
Some groups have voiced their concerns on the
ongoing investigation of the Department and Labor and Employment and the
Department of Foreign Affairs in connection with the reported sex-for-flight
scheme in the Middle East.
These groups have been asking about the
government assessment and investigation and want to know if the administration
was able to prosecute officials involved.
“The secretary of labor have provided a
timetable kung gaano katagal niyang dapat aksyunan ang bagay na ito. Gusto lang
siguraduhin ng DOLE na masinop ang kanilang mga magiging findings,” Deputy
Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a press briefing Tuesday in
Malacanang.
“Meron silang period of time to evaluate the
facts and the evidence, including the testimonies that they were able to gather
on their trip, at iaakyat iyan sa disciplining authority which, in this case,
is the secretary of labor.”
The DOLE has been following a particular
timetable and will come up with a complete investigation result soon, according
to Valte.
Valte said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz sent
a fact-finding team to the Middle East to conduct the inquiry. The group
already returned to the Philippines two weeks ago, she said.
The government is already doing an assessment to
prevent future abuses relative to calls by migrant organizations asking for
more protection for Filipinos working abroad.
A month ago, Secretary Baldoz briefed the
President on the ongoing investigation and the possible measures that the
government could implement to prevent similar situations from occurring, the
Palace official said.
“Women welfare workers will now be prioritized
for postings. Sila ang magiging house mothers ng mga welfare centers natin
abroad. Pina-prioritize na natin ang deployment ng mga babaeng welfare workers
natin,” Valte said. PND (as)
Aquino orders law enforcement agencies to
coordinate with Comelec in ensuring peaceful, credible Syncronized Barangay and
Sanguniang Kabataan Elections
President Benigno S. Aquino III has directed the
law enforcement agencies and other concerned agencies to coordinate and
cooperate with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in ensuring free, orderly,
honest, peaceful, and credible Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan
Elections on October 28.
The directive was issued by virtue of Memorandum
Order No. 56 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on July 23.
The Comelec, through its Resolution No. 9731 (s.
2013), resolved to request the concurrence of the President in the deputation
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police
(PNP), and other law enforcement agencies, in connection with Synchronized
Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.
"Pursuant to Section 2 (4), Article IX-C of
the Constitution, the Comelec is empowered to deputize, with the concurrence of
the President, law enforcement agencies and instrumentalities of the
Government, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, for the exclusive
purpose of ensuring free, orderly, honest, peaceful, and credible
elections," the memorandum read.
The Chief Executive concurred with Comelec
Resolution No. 9731, deputizing AFP, PNP and other law enforcement agencies, to
assist the Comelec in ensuring the free, orderly, honest, peaceful, and credible
conduct of October elections.
This Memorandum Order shall take effect
immediately. PND (js)
Govt assures public of enough rice supply
Malacanang said there is enough government
intervention to ensure sufficient supply of rice during the lean season.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, Deputy
Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said there is enough buffer stock in
government warehouses as the country enters the lean months.
The National Food Authority (NFA) said rice
prices will increase until September because of the lean season. The NFA also
released in the market P32 per kilo high-quality, commercial well-milled rice
for public consumption, Valte said.
Asked by reporters about the possibility of some
rice traders seizing the opportunity to overprice, she said the NFA is already
acting on those concerns.
Earlier this month, Valte said the government
was conduct strict monitoring of rice prices to prevent traders from
unreasonably jacking up the price of the major staple. She said however that the
increase in rice prices would be temporary.
Valte said concerned government agencies were
doing the monitoring adding that the price increase was seasonal and would be
going back to original prices once the harvest season starts.
The increase was part of a natural cycle of rice
supply, Valte noted. Rice farmers have just started to plant palay and the NFA
was just starting its assessment of its buffer stock in preparation for the
lean season. PND (as)
