Sunday 22 September 2013

PIA News Dispatch - Thursday, September 19, 2013



Malacanang says President Aquino runs the country even if he oversees operations against members of the Moro National Liberation Front in Zamboanga City

President Benigno S. Aquino III still puts in a full day of running the country even as he personally oversees the operations against members of the Moro National Liberation Front-Misuari faction in Zamboanga City, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said on Thursday.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, Lacierda said the President, who has been in the province since Friday (September 13) undertakes a three-meeting schedule with security forces, members of his official family and local government unit where he issues his directives and instructions.

He said the meetings of the President would be held as early as seven in the morning and would end late at night.

“Just to give you an example of the schedule of the President: he normally has a three-meeting schedule on a daily basis. At seven in the morning, there’s a meeting with security commanders and Cabinet Secretaries to discuss events of the previous night and then there’s a midday meeting to discuss events that happened during the day and an evening meeting with security again and the Cabinet Secretaries to discuss a broad assessment of security and humanitarian concerns,” Lacierda said.

“So that’s the regular schedule of the President in Zamboanga City and also he’s met on several occasions, for instance he’s met with the Zamboanga local government unit and the business and civic leaders of Zamboanga City. It was a three hour meeting held last Friday night,” he added.

Lacierda also said that regular updates from Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II intimated that the President was in close coordination with Zamboanga Mayor Beng Climaco and Zamboanga Sibugay Governor Wilter Palma.

“And we understand, from Secretary Mar Roxas, that the President has also met with Mayor Beng Climaco and Governor Wilter Palma of Zamboanga Sibugay. So they met from around 9 p.m. til midnight of two days ago,” Lacierda said.

“And then last night, after the evening meeting with the security group and Cabinet Secretaries to discuss security and humanitarian concerns, the President also called up Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad regarding rehabilitation and re-construction plans for Zamboanga City,” he added. PND (rck)


Palace welcomes high government satisfaction rating in new SWS survey

Malacanang welcomed the high satisfaction rating of the Aquino administration in a recent survey adding that it will continue to remain focused on attaining inclusive growth as well as fighting corruption.

In a press briefing in Malacanang Thursday, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said they are glad that the recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey result came out, noting the result was no longer news to the Palace.

“We have already said we were happy in June, we will always be happy if the numbers are up. But then this is a challenge for the government to always do better than what we did,” Lacierda said.

“Regardless of what the numbers will be, the government is focused on addressing inclusive growth and addressing corruption in the country,” he added.

The Aquino administration scored a high public satisfaction rating in the survey, with three out of four Filipinos satisfied with its performance. The survey was conducted in end-June by the SWS, and it noted improvements on several areas.

Seventy five percent of adults were satisfied, while 16 percent were ambivalent, and nine percent were dissatisfied with the government’s general performance, according to the SWS.

The SWS conducted the survey before the standoff in Zamboanga City between the government and Moro National Liberation Front forces, Misuari faction. PND (as)


President Aquino signs bill recognizing Philippine Statistical System into law to harmonize collection and compilation of data by government agencies

President Benigno S. Aquino III has signed into law a bill aimed at reorganizing the Philippine Statistical System (PSS) to harmonize the collection and compilation of data by various government agencies.

The Chief Executive signed on September 12 Republic Act No. 10625 or "An Act Reorganizing the Philippine Statistical System, Repealing for the Purpose Executive Order 121, entitled 'Reorganizing and Strengthening the Philippine Statistical System' and for other purposes.”

The Act is also known as the Philippine Statistical Act of 2013.

Republic Act 10625, which originated in the House of Representatives, was finally passed by the Lower House and the Senate on June 6, 2013.

The newly-signed law aims to promote the orderly development of a statistical system capable of providing timely, accurate and useful data for the government and the public, and support decentralization through the establishment of the statistical infrastructure necessary to service the statistical needs of local development planning.

Prior to the passage of the law, the National Statistics Office (NSO), the National Statistics and Coordination Board (NSCB), Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES), Statistical Research and Training Center (SRTC), among others, separately conduct collections, compilations and other statistical operations.

With the passage of the law, the PSS shall consist of statistical organizations at all administrative levels, the personnel therein and the national statistical program.

"This includes a policy-making body, a coordinating body with primary data collection capability, a statistical research and training institute, and all executive departments, bureaus, offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the national and local governments and all government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) and their subsidiaries that are engaged in statistical activities either as their primary functions or as part of their administrative or regulatory functions," the President said.

The law mandates the creation of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), attached to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for purposes of policy coordination.

The PSA shall be comprised of the PSA Board and offices on sectoral statistics, censuses and technical coordination, civil registration and central support and field statistical services.

The NSO, the BAS of the Department of Agriculture, the BLES of the Department of Labor and Employment, and the NSCB are hereby abolished and their appropriations, records, properties and personnel shall be transferred to the PSA.

The Department of Economic Statistics of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas will continue to take charge of banking and financial statistics, including the balance of payments and flow of funds.

The National Statistician, as head of the PSA, must possess experience in the management of data collection and at least a Master’s Degree in Statistics. The National Statistician shall be appointed by the President of the Republic of the Philippines from among a list of nominees submitted by a Special Committee.

The law seeks the transformation of the Statistical Research and Training Center (SRTC) into the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI). The new agency will be attached to NEDA for purposes of policy coordination.

Violators may face a penalty ranging from three months imprisonment to one year imprisonment and a fine of P5,000 to P500,000.

The amount necessary for the effective implementation of this Act shall be taken from funds available to the NSO, BAS, BLES and NSCB. Additional requirements shall be charged to the appropriations under the current General Appropriations Act.

Thereafter, such sum as may be needed for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

The PSA Board together with the PSA, the PSRTI, the NEDA and other concerned agencies of government that may be determined by the PSA Board, shall formulate the implementing rules and regulations of this Act within ninety (90) days after its approval.

Such rules and regulations shall take effect fifteen days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines. PND (js)


Government doing everything to ease miseries of Zamboanga City residents, says Palace

Malacanang appealed on Thursday for fair coverage and reportage of the ongoing government relief efforts saying the administration is doing everything to provide the necessities needed by families affected by the ongoing Zamboanga City standoff.

There have been reports saying about families not receiving food provisions after they left their homes as Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members entered their communities.

“We have addressed and attended to so many families in Zamboanga City and we just ask for fair play, and for fair coverage, and not to emphasize those who were not fed—100 persons who were not fed,” Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing in Malacanang on Thursday.

The public must look into the thousands of people whom this government, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), has been attending to, he said.

As to the latest situational report from the DSWD, Lacierda said there is a total of 23,794 families with some 118,819 individuals that have been affected. Eighty nine percent of the affected families were displaced and are staying inside evacuation centers, while 1,790 affected families opted to stay with their relatives or friends in safer places, Lacierda reported.

There are 57 evacuation centers in Zamboanga City with the total number of families 21,261 or 112,961 individuals. The largest evacuation center is the Joaquin F. Enriquez Sports complex, also known as the Grandstand, which holds 63 percent of the total number of families, he said.

The DSWD, through a number of food service providers, is providing 70,000 ready-to-eat packed foods for every mealtime: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Lacierda added.

The community kitchen of the City Social Welfare Development Office is providing 12,000 foods three times a day. The Philippine Red Cross, International Community of the Red Cross, with the help of Western Mindanao State University also cook dinners for 10,000 individuals.

At the same time, he said the DSWD is also conducting a computerized profiling of displaced families using the DSWD Disaster Assistance Family Center, family access cards for validation, and profile generation purposes to extend relief assistance.

The Palace official also thanked the people from government and the private sector who help man the relief efforts to those affected by the ongoing violence.

“We’d like to thank the many men and women who have served the evacuees, the men and women of the DSWD, and also the men and women who have volunteered their services to help the evacuees inside the evacuation centers, and those who have volunteered to cook the foods that we have just mentioned for the evacuees,” he said. PND (as)


Aquino: MNLF factions may choose war or peace

President Benigno S. Aquino III sent a strong message Thursday saying that it’s up to Mindanao elements to choose between war and peace, and underscored the government’s readiness to respond on whatever their preference may be.

“’Yung patakaran natin, handang makipag-usap nang mapayapa at makipag-dayalogo, ay talagang haharapin natin at ini-encourage natin. Ang mga tao namang maglalagay sa lahat ng mga mamamayan sa panganib ay talaga namang haharapin din ng estado,” the President said in an interview during an assessment in Zamboanga City airport on Thursday.

“Kung mapayapa kang haharap, mapayapa kang haharapin ng gobyerno para magkaroon ng kaayusan—sa English ‘permanent peace’. Pero ‘pag ang gusto mo naman ay pairalin lang ‘yung sa iyo at maghahasik ka ng lagim sa nakakarami, hindi rin papayagan ng gobyerno ‘yon.”

The President, who has been staying in Zamboanag since last week to oversee the ongoing military operations and relief efforts, said his administration has not abandoned the peace discussions even to groups sowing terror in Zamboanga City.

He said his administration remains committed to the tripartite dialogue on the implementation of the 1996 peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) adding he encourages all the factions of the MNLF to participate.

But for those who will choose violence as a way to advance their interests, the President said his administration will always be willing to use the full force of the state to subdue any threat to regional peace.

The government and the MNLF was supposed to meet in Indonesia this week, but MNLF leader Nur Misuari pulled out of the talks, the President said, bolstering suspicions that Misuari really has a hand in the ongoing Zamboanga standoff.
Indonesia facilitates the tripartite talks between the Philippine government and the MNLF.

Only one group of MNLF has spearheaded violent confrontations in Zamboanga, he said adding other factions of the MNLF have denounced the actions of MNLF-Misuari faction.

The President also assured the people of Zamboanga that the government will remain committed to extending assistance to the conflict-victims as well as to rebuilding the city once the standoff is over. PND (as)


Aquino dispels public fears of recurrence of Zamboanga City violence

President Benigno S. Aquino III said the government started rebuilding and reconstructing the communities affected by the attacks of forces loyal to Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Nur Misuari in Zamboanga City, dispelling public fears of recurrence of similar violence.

"Hindi na mauulit muli.... Syempre, pagbubutihin pa natin lalo na ‘yung intelligence services," the Chief Executive said in a media interview in Zamboanga City on Thursday.

President Aquino is presently in Zamboanga City to preside over a series of meetings with concerned cabinet secretaries and officials, assess the situation and provide the needs of displaced residents.

"I ask them what is needed, authorize the releases of funds; am talking to Bangko Sentral to ensure the cash supply, am talking to Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Transportation and Communications, and Department of Agriculture to ensure that basic food stuffs are available from the time before I left Manila to the present—to include not just Zamboanga City but also BASULTA (Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi)," he said.

More than a week after the military launched its operations against the MNLF-Misuari faction, the President said the violence has dissipated.

"Nakita naman natin, imbes na mapalawak ‘yung teritoryong nababalot sa dilim ay napaliit nang napaliit mula ‘nung unang araw," President Aquino said.

He assured the Zamboanga City residents that the government continues to pursue peace and order, and provide assistance to the locals in the affected areas. The government has also prepared food packs for the displaced families.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is stepping up its operations against lawless elements and to secure the areas where skirmishes occurred.

He also said that he will remain in Zamboanga City until the crisis ends.

"I am both Commander-in-Chief and the President, therefore, at the end of the day, everything is my responsibility, so I am very involved—from everything to getting briefed and putting some of my inputs into the security operations," he said. PND (js)