President Aquino to keynote opening ceremonies
of Livestock 2013 Wednesday
President Benigno S. Aquino III will be the
guest of honor and keynote speaker at the opening ceremonies of Livestock 2013
that will be held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Wednesday,
August 7.
Dubbed as the Philippines’ No.1 Trade Event for
Livestock Nutrition, Animal Health and Production and Meat Industry, Livestock
Philippines 2013 will bring in over 500 key decision-makers including
integrators, farmers, feed millers, manufacturers and traders of feed
ingredients, additives, supplements and premixes, meat and meat products
processors, farm equipment fabricators and suppliers, slaughterhouse operators,
veterinarians, veterinary drugs and products manufacturers, and other industry
stakeholders from across the country as well as other neighboring countries.
It will provide a platform to showcase
state-of-the-art technology, equipment and machineries deemed to improve
production efficiency for those in the livestock industry.
With the theme "Food Security through Feeds
Safety," Livestock Philippines 2013 will focus on providing solutions to
the continuing challenges faced by the Livestock and Poultry Feeds
Manufacturers, Traders of traditional and alternative Feed Ingredients,
Additives, Supplements and Pre-mixes, and the Livestock and Poultry Producers
and Raisers, in general, which is, to nourish food-animals with safe quality
feeds and fulfill the vision of feeding the world with wholesome food of animal
origin.
Joining the President will be Agriculture
Secretary Proceso Alcala and Assistant Secretary for Livestock Davinio
Catbagan. PND (rck)
President Aquino declares August 30 as special
non-working day in Mandaue City in the province of Cebu
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
August 30, which falls on a Friday, as a special (non-working) day in the city
of Mandaue in the province of Cebu, in celebration of its 44th Charter Day.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration,
through Proclamation No. 628 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on July 30 to give the people of Mandaue City the full opportunity to celebrate
and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
Mandaue became a chartered city on August 30,
1969 by virtue of Republic Act No. 5519. It is one of the highly urbanized
cities in the central Visayas region. PND (js)
Aquino leads welcome ceremony for new warship
BRP Ramon Alcaraz
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: President Benigno S. Aquino
III led Tuesday the welcome rites for BRP Ramon Alcaraz, the country’s second
Hamilton-class cutter that arrived from the United States last week.
In his message during the welcome ceremony, the
President challenged the members of the Philippines Navy to live by the spirit
of Commodore Ramon Alcaraz’s bravery in the fight against Japanese invaders
during World War II.
“Kaya naman ang hamon ko sa buong Hukbong Dagat
at sa mga kawal na sasampa sa barkong ito: Isabuhay ninyo ang katapangan at
pananagutan ng mga Pilipinong hindi nag-atubiling mag-alay ng dugo’t pawis para
sa kapakanan ng kanilang kapwa at bandila,” the President said.
The arrival of the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, the
Philippines’s first Hamilton-class cutter, has improved the Navy’s ability to
guard the country’s boarder and defend its sovereignty.
With the BRP Ramon Alcaraz augmenting the
Philippines’s naval fleet, the country could widen and speed up its patrols in
its exclusive economic zone, the President said.
The new ship could help the government fight
crimes, heighten its ability to conduct search and rescue operations, and
protect its maritime resources, he added.
Since assuming office, the President said his
administration focused on improving the military’s ability to do its duty by
modernizing its equipment and giving its personnel proper training.
In the last three years of his administration,
the President said the government spent P27.62 billion for the AFP
Modernization Program. This figure surpassed the expenditure of the previous
administration with only P26.2 billion spent in more than nine years.
“Noong nakaraang taon, nilagdaan na rin natin
ang Revised AFP Modernization Act, na nagpatibay sa labinlimang taong
ekstensiyon ng programa, kaakibat ang paglalaan ng P75 bilyong pondo sa unang
limang taon ng implementasyon nito,” he said.
Aside from enhancing their capability, the
government also has programs to improve the lives of ordinary soldiers that
include giving them decent housing and livelihood, having in mind that by
helping soldiers, they could focus more in doing their duties.
The President also expressed his gratitude to
the US government for helping the Philippines strengthen its military. The BRP
Ramon Alcaraz was turned over to the Philippine government through the Excess
Defense Articles program.
Among those who joined the President Tuesday
were Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Defense Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin, US Ambassador Harry Thomas, General Emmanuel Bautista, Vice Admiral
Jose Luis Alano, Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Rodolfo Isorena and Subic
freeport local officials.
The warship was named after Ramon Alcaraz, a
member of the Philippine Navy who fought alongside the US forces during the
World War II.
Alcaraz, who was part of the offshore patrol of
the Philippine Navy, shot down three low-flying Japanese planes off Bataan in
January 1942.
He went to the US after leaving the Navy and
became part of several movements advocating equity and justice for Filipino war
veterans. Although living in the US, Alcaraz never forgot his roots and love of
country.
He died on June 25, 2009, in Orange County,
California. PND (as)
Aquino meets security cluster, sees arrest of
Cotabato bombers soon
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: President Benigno S. Aquino
III said he is meeting Tuesday afternoon the Cabinet Security cluster to discuss
the bombing in Cotabato City that killed eight people.
In an interview with the media here, the
President mentioned the limitations of the military and the police but he said
he believes authorities could bring the perpetrators to justice soon.
At this time, he said the police has suspects
who have been the objects of the government concern for a very long time. He
said however that authorities at this point are not sure whether these suspects
were the ones who carried out the Cotabato City attack.
Authorities are encountering difficulties in
going after the suspects because of the limited manpower, he said. Despite the
rapid increase in the country’s population, the number of the members of the
police has not changed since the mid-80s, according to the President.
At the same time, the President said there are
groups who want to derail the ongoing peace process between the government and
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
“Huwag nating kalimutan na meron talagang mga
ilang sektor na ayaw magpatuloy ‘yung ating peace process. At siguro, talaga
namang pinaghahandaan ito, pero talagang magiging imposible na nandoon tayo
parati sa lahat ng lugar, sa lahat ng oras para ma-prevent lahat ito,” he said.
“Talagang ang mga terrorist by their nature,
iilan lang sila, tagong-tago. Pero palagay ko mahahanap rin natin sila in the
near future.”
The government has been negotiating peace with
the MILF and has signed the Framework Agreement for Mindanao peace last year.
Both sides are in the final stages of the talks and have agreed on sensitive
points such as wealth sharing.
Asked if he thinks that the recent Mindanao
attacks have something to do with the global alert issued by the US against Al
Qaeda, he said he has not seen any indicators that that’s the case.
He said investigators are not ruling out all
angles and their inquiry includes terrorism, political, and criminal groups.
A powerful bomb apparently rigged to a vehicle
exploded in Cotabato City on Monday afternoon, killing at least eight people
and injuring some 30 others, including policemen.
The bomb exploded as a bulletproof SUV, carrying
the Cotabato City administrator, was passing by.
The city administrator wasn’t hurt, but two of
her police bodyguards in a security van were killed, officials said. It was
unclear if the administrator was the target of the attack. PND (as)
