President Aquino sees incarceration of alleged
pork barrel scam mastermind a step towards right direction of uncovering the
truth
President Benigno S. Aquino III sees the
incarceration of fugitive Janet Lim-Napoles to face charges of serious illegal
detention a step towards the right direction of achieving justice and finally
uncovering the truth concerning the alleged misuse of the priority development
assistance fund (PDAF), Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said on
Thursday.
In a press briefing in Malacanang, Lacierda said
the President expressed concern and has viewed this matter seriously.
“The President has stated that the presence of
Ms. Napoles adds to finding out the truth. 'Yun ang mahalaga,” Lacierda said.
“And the President views this matter very
seriously and he wanted to make sure that she was safely turned over to the
courts,” he added.
“By bringing her (Napoles) to us and voluntarily
surrendering to the President, now the process of finding the truth can begin
in earnest,” Lacierda further said.
Lacierda said that it was yesterday afternoon
when he was contacted by Napoles’ lawyer, Lorna Kapunan, to discuss Napoles’
terms before surrendering to the President.
Kapunan wanted the assurance of the President
for the safety of Napoles before surrendering herself.
After agreeing to rendezvous with Kapunan in
Makati, Lacierda finally met Napoles at the Heritage Park in Taguig City at a
little past 9 p.m.
Together with Napoles, according to Lacierda,
was her brother Jimmy Lim and a househelper.
They then proceeded back to Malacanang where
they finally presented themselves before the President at 9:37 p.m.
With the President in receiving Napoles in
Malacanang were Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene
Almendras, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Communications Secretary Ramon
Carandang, and Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte. PND (rck)
President Aquino declares September 5 as special
non-working day in General Santos City, South Cotabato in celebration of its
15th Tuna Festival
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
September 5, which falls on a Thursday, as a special (non-working) day in the
city of General Santos in South Cotabato in celebration of its 15th Tuna
Festival.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 638 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on August 22 to give the people of General Santos City the full opportunity to
celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
The Tuna Festival is an annual gathering that
highlights the significant role of the tuna industry – the city's primary
source of income.
The Tuna Festival coincides with the celebration
of the Charter Day of General Santos City, now on its 45th year.
On July 8, 1968, the municipality of General
Santos was converted into a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 5412. The city
was inaugurated on September 5 of the same year. PND (js)
Palace serious in unearthing pork barrel
anomaly, asks press not to preempt inquiry
Malacanang appealed Thursday not to preempt the
ongoing investigation to the P10-billion pork barrel anomaly stressing that the
inquiry will go where the evidence leads it.
In a press briefing in Malacanang, reporters
asked Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda if the Aquino government is still
interested in running after the big fishes with regards to the pork barrel
scam.
“Don’t preempt. My request to the press is don’t
preempt this government. The President has already said: ‘Where the evidence
leads, we will go there',” Lacierda said.
“So please don’t preempt our administration. The
investigations are ongoing and, once charges are filed, you will know.”
Fugitive Janet Lim-Napoles surrendered to
President Benigno S. Aquino III Wednesday evening in Malacanang. Napoles is
facing a serious illegal detention charge.
The President sees Napoles’s surrender as a step
towards the right direction of achieving justice and finally uncovering the
truth concerning the alleged misuse of the priority development assistance fund
(PDAF), Lacierda said.
The camp of Napoles said it would cooperate with
the ongoing investigation into the multi-billion pork barrel scam.
The anomaly stemmed from the alleged anomalous
spending by some lawmakers of their pork barrel allocations through the use of
bogus or non-existing foundations and other organizations.
On Wednesday, the President announced a
P10-million reward offer to anyone who can provide information to authorities
that could lead to the arrest of Napoles. PND (as)
Aquino administation welcomes reports that
country’s economy grew by 7.5 percent in the second quarter of this year
The Aquino administration welcomed reports that
the Philippine economy grew by 7.5% in the second quarter this year, making the
country the best performer among emerging economies in the ASEAN region and
growing at par with the People’s Republic of China.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda issued
the statement on Thursday following reports that the Philippine economy, as
measured by the gross domestic product (GDP), grew by 7.5 percent in the second
quarter of 2013 compared to the same quarter last year.
"Despite the particularly challenging
climate for emerging economies, the Philippine economy has shown remarkable
resilience. This is the fourth consecutive quarter that GDP has expanded above
7%, representing a continued and sustained rally for the Philippine
economy," Lacierda said.
"This heady growth rate, which has not
dipped below 6% since the first quarter of 2012, hews closely to the GDP growth
targets set by the Philippine Development Plan," he said.
The Philippines economy expanded 7.5 percent in
the April to June quarter following increase in investor and consumer
confidence and infrastructure activities.
"Notably, the Secretary for Socioeconomic
Planning (Arsenio M. Balisacan) has expressed optimism that the Philippine
economy continues to industrialize and with that expand its ability to provide
better jobs for our countrymen," Lacierda stressed.
According to National Economic Development
Authority, strong growth for the quarter was buoyed by greater infrastructure
activities, higher investor and consumer confidence, favorable interest rates,
stable inflation, inbound tourism, and an optimistic domestic economic outlook.
"Throughout the Aquino administration, we
have persistently proven that good governance does result in good economics. As
such, we will continue to push toward establishing an environment that
underscores accountability, transparency, and that which encourages further
partnerships between the public and private sectors to meet our developmental
goals," Lacierda said.
Lacierda said equitable and inclusive growth
remain at the core of Aquino administration's initiatives as the government
helps build a more robust economy for the benefit of all Filipinos. PND (js)
