President Aquino assures government presence to
help victims of flooding
BINAN, Laguna) President Benigno S. Aquino III
assured Filipinos that the government was 100 percent primed and ready to
extend any form of assistance to the victims of widespread flooding spawned by
monsoon rains enhanced by typhoon Maring the past three days.
The President gave the assurance in a short
mesage during his visit to the De La Paz elementary school here on Wednesday.
The school was tranformed into an evacuation
center to accomodate 328 families or some 6,334 individuals who were adversely
affected by the floods.
"Ready po ang inyong gobyerno dito sa
kalamidad na ito at huwag tayo magaalala, marami tayong resources pa na
magagamit para maibalik tayo sa maayos sa lalong madaling panahon," the
President said.
He pointed out that the reason for his visit was
to personally check on the situation of the people and to see if there was
anything more to do.
"Nandito nga kami lahat para tumulong, para
makita kung ano --- kung may kakulangan pa," the President said.
The President then personally handed out food
packs to the victims.
The food packs consisted of rice, noodles,
coffee, can of sardines and corned beef, as well as mattresses and blankets.
According to Social Welfare Secretary Corazon
"Dinky" Soliman who briefed the President on the relief efforts in
the province, eight municipalities consisting of 38 barangays, 3,300 families
or 15,950 individualas have been relocated to 47 evacuation centers. PND (rck)
President Aquino joins Filipinos in
commemorating the 30th Death Anniversary of former Senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’
Aquino, Jr.
President Benigno S. Aquino III joined the
Filipino people in commemorating the 30th Death Anniversary of former Senator
Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., saying that each Filipino carries the
potential to bring about a lasting transformation in society.
"As we celebrate his courage and
patriotism, may we be reminded that individual choice can change the course of
our history, and that each and every Filipino carries the potential to bring
about lasting transformation in society," the Chief Executive said in his
message commemorating his father's death anniversary.
The former senator was assassinated on August
21,1983 at the then Manila International Airport now Ninoy Aquino International
Airport.
His death paved the way for his wife, Corazon C.
Aquino, to continue what he had left behind – the fight for the restoration of
freedom and democracy.
"On August 21, 1983, my father made the
difficult decision to return to his ailing nation. No exile could lull him into
comfort amidst the pleas of his kababayans for a peaceful life; no distance
could make him neglect the duties he swore to his motherland. Instead, he
headed home, alone, heart burning with fervor, to fight for the democracy he
dreamed of reclaiming for his country," the President said.
Thirty years after his death, Ninoy continues to
inspire the Filipinos to cope with the challenges of maintaining our restored
freedom in the country’s democratic system.
"This was the choice that led to his
martyrdom, and the turning point of our continuing narrative: In grief, the
indomitable Filipino spirit was awakened. This spurred the People Power that
brought back our people’s liberty and our national dignity," the President
stressed.
"Let the heroes in each of us thrive in our
everyday words and action, in service of the greater good; exercise the freedom
we enjoy today to spark a revolution for positive change and cast our stake in
forging our destiny as a nation. Time and again, we have proven that no
challenge is too daunting and no task is too great for a united Filipino
nation," he further said.
The President said the recent history attests to
the power of Filipinos' solidarity as they seized the chance to steer our
nation towards the straight and righteous path and to rebuild the just, equitably
progressive society that his father aspired for.
"Let us remain steadfast in our journey of
renewal and bestow the legacy of an even more mature democracy upon coming
generations," he concluded. PND (js)
President Aquino appeals to Mandaluyong City
residents to join government efforts to relocate settlers to safer places
BARANGAY POBLACION, Mandaluyong City) President
Benigno S. Aquino III appealed to residents of Mandaluyong City to join
government efforts to relocate those living within specified danger zones to
safer places in order to ensure that no casualties are recorded in times of
emergency.
The President aired his appeal during his visit
to the Mandaluyong Elementary School in Barangay Poblacion here to lead the
distribution of food packs to victims of floods brought about by the torrential
rains due to the monsoon system enhanced by typhoon Maring the past three days.
Joining the President at the distribution
ceremonies were Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, Cabinet Secretary
Rene Almendras, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, Interior and Local
Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.
According to Soliman, who briefed the President
on the DSWD’s relief efforts in the municipality, 307 families or some 1,631
individuals of Barangay Poblacion have been relocated to the Mandaluyong
Elementary School.
They will soon receive food packs containing:
rice, noodles, coffee and cans of sardines, corned beef as well as mattresses
and blankets to ward off the cold. PND (rck)
Torrential rains encourage President Aquino to
work harder at addressing flooding
MANDALUYONG CITY) President Benigno S. Aquino
III said on Wednesday that the torrential rains experienced by a large part of
Luzon as well as Metro Manila over the last three days has served as
encouragement to work harder at addressing the increasing incidence of flooding
during the rainy season.
In an interview after distributing food packs to
the flood victims at the Mandaluyong City Elementary School, the President said
the heavy downpour spawned by the monsoon season enhanced by typhoon Maring
serves as an impetus to complete the things needed to address the perennial
problem of flooding.
“If at all, lalo tayong magkakaroon ng impetus
para magawa ang mga dapat gawin,” the President said pointing out that over the
course of the last three days, he had made follow ups with Justice Secretary
Leila De Lima on the cases filed against establishments impeding the flow of
waterways.
“Specifically, ang mga ... medyo malalaking mga
establisyimento. The end point being to be able to demolish this illegal
structures at makadaloy 'yung tubig,” he added.
He said he was disheartened to know that there
had been casualties due to the floods but vowed that government relief agencies
would continue to work towards maintaining a zero casualty rate.
“Siyempre, bawat isang namatay... hindi okay sa
atin 'yan at gusto nating mapabawas. Maganda naman ang balita na walang
na-isolate, in the sense na hindi maabot. Mukhang lahat ng communities na
apektado, ang report sa atin e napuntahan at naasikaso,” the President said.
“Ngayon, maganda rin 'yung cooperation nung
ating mga kababayan na tumutulong --- iyong nakikiisa sa paglikas dito sa mga
danger zones. Dito nga sa Mandaluyong, ni-report, by next month, iyong sa first
80 families, tapos na iyong dayalogo nila, makakalipat by next month. Hindi na
'yung masalimuot ang proseso sa paglilikas sa kanila sa mas maayos na lugar,”
he added. PND (rck)
Government ready to assist Filipinos affected by
tensions in Egypt, says Aquino
The Philippine embassy in Egypt has an initial
$240,000 that could be used for the repatriation of Filipinos who remain in
that country in the midst of the continuing tensions there, President Benigno
S. Aquino III said on Wednesday.
In an interview during a visit in an evacuation
center in Mandaluyong City, the President said there are between 5,000 to 6,000
Filipinos who stay in Egypt, mostly students and domestic helpers.
“Initially, there are only five who are coming
home today at marami ang nagre-resist dahil ayaw raw nilang mawalan ng trabaho.
But the situation is really serious,” the President said.
“We will not call for level 4, which is forced
repatriation, but I’m sure the embassy in Egypt has been preparing for this,
and has been actively trying to encourage our countrymen to ensure their safety
to leave Egypt at this time, he said.”
The President also assured that the government
will assist returning OFWs from Egypt by giving locally available jobs and
livelihood assistance similar to what the administration did to OFWs affected
by the Arab Spring.
He said that the AG&P, a manufacturing
facility based in Batangas, hired 4,000 Filipinos displaced by the Arab Spring.
The labor department and other government
agencies like the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda)
will be preparing to assist OFWs who will return home, the President said.
The government automatically releases such
support, he said, adding that since the number of affected Filipinos in Egypt
is significant, concerned government agencies will act on it. PND (as)
Government’s flood-control projects on track,
Department of Public Works and Highways says
The completion of the government’s flood control
system particularly in Metro Manila remains on track, the Department of Public
Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Wednesday.
During an interview with the media in
Mandaluyong City, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson said the
DPWH has several drainage improvement projects being done in different parts of
Metro Manila to address flooding.
The DPWH also has projects aimed at improving
the capacity of the waterways in the metro, Singson said, adding that one of
the agency's ongoing project is located in Bonifacio Avenue, which will address
flooding at the Maysilo Circle.
It also has another flood-control project in
Blumentritt, he said noting that the three segments are already ongoing.
Singson promised to complete the Blumentritt
project, which is a major drainage improvement, by July next year.
Singson, together with the other Cabinet
secretaries, accompanied President Benigno S. Aquino III, who visited Binan and
San Pedro, Laguna, before going to Mandaluyong City to oversee the ongoing
relief operations in communities affected by the flooding. PND (as)
