President Aquino lauds holding of 7th ASEAN Navy
Chiefs Meeting in Manila
MAKATI CITY) President Benigno S. Aquino III
lauded the 7th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Navy Chiefs
Meeting held at the Fairmont Hotel here on Tuesday.
The President said in his speech keynoting the
event that the meeting provided a venue where member-countries could come
together and foster "a strong sense of regional solidarity" while
upholding "our individual sovereignty."
"Our respective nations have all strived to
uphold our individual sovereignty, while at the same time fostering a strong
sense of regional solidarity—one that favors consensus and collaboration
instead of discord, aggression, and imposition," the President said.
"And it is in meetings like this where we
can make progress on that front—where we can truly solidify our ties and
protect our common seas," he added.
He said the end result of the Asean Navy Chiefs
Meeting was to ensure "freedom of navigation, the safety of commercial
vessels, and the security of their civilian passengers" which he pointed
out was in line with the goal of the ASEAN Economic Community, which we intend
to establish by 2015.
"This is precisely what all of us here want
to ensure; and it gives me great optimism that all of you are here to talk and
listen to each other about how we can better pursue these goals," the
President said.
"I trust that this meeting will lead to the
mutual enrichment of our navies—to the sharing of vital lessons in
accomplishing missions—whether these be maritime patrols, search and rescue
operations, or the interdiction of pirates and other security threats—all
towards the creation of an ASEAN environment more secure than ever
before," he added.
The Asean Navy Chiefs Meeting is an annual
activity that is rotationally hosted by the different ASEAN navies and
participated in by the Chiefs of Navies from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
It aims to further enhance the degree of
cooperation and interoperability among the ASEAN navies and promote regional
maritime security and stability through various initiatives. PND (rck)
President Aquino expresses confidence no new
escalation of tensions to ensue in Zamboanga City
President Benigno S. Aquino III expressed
confidence on Tuesday that no new escalation of tensions between the Moro
National Liberation Front and the government forces would ensue after security
forces in Zamboanga City were beefed up to maintain order and protect the
citizens.
In a press briefing after keynoting the 7th
ASEAN Navy Chiefs Meeting in Makati City, the President said that regular
updates from Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, who is in
the province to personally oversee the operations against the breakaway group,
had been favorable and thus warranted his expression of confidence.
He also pointed out that troop deployment had
been "overwhelmingly" augmented to ensure the stability of peace in
the province.
"Kahapon adequate, ngayon palagay ko
overwhelming na. Marami tayong ini-air lift na mga tropa, kasama na ang ating
mga pinaka-elite na forces nandoon na sa Zamboanga City. Ang pagka-intindi ko
medyo kalmado na ang sitwasyon," the President said.
He stressed that the safety of all civilians and
residents in the province remained the top priority of the government as he
lauded the local government of Zamboanga City for remaining on top of the
situation.
"Gaya ng instructions natin mula kahapon,
ang priority natin is maniguradong safe lahat, or ma-enhance natin ang safety
ng lahat ng mga mamamayan ng Zamboanga City," the President said.
"Talagang nakatutok si Mayor Climaco ng
husto, hands-on, na-activate ang crisis management council kahapon pa, at
natapos iyong mga reports nila sa akin kagabi something like 11:30," he
said.
The President also said that with the current
state of operations being undertaken by the combined personnel of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, he saw no need to
declare a state of emergency in the province
"At this time, wala pa ng need to declare a
state of emergency in the province," the President said. PND (rck)
President Aquino declares September 18 as
special non-working day in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat in celebration of its 13th
Cityhood Anniversary
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
September 18, which falls on a Wednesday, as a special (non-working day) in the
city of Tacurong in Sultan Kudarat province in celebration of its 13th Cityhood
Anniversary.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 643 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on August 22 to give the people of Tacurong the full opportunity to celebrate
and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
To mark its cityhood anniversary, Tacurong will
hold the "Talakudong Festival 2013″.
Tacurong became a component city of the Province
of Sultan Kudarat by virtue of Republic Act No. 8805 that was issued on August
16, 2000. The cityhood of Tacurong was duly confirmed by the Tacurongnons in a
plebiscite held on September 18, 2000. PND (js)
President Aquino says Napoles may be charged in
relation to alleged misuse of pork barrel funds by Friday
President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Tuesday
that appropriate charges in relation to the alleged misuse of the priority
development assistance fund (PDAF) may be filed against Janet Lim Napoles by Friday.
President Aquino told reporters in a press
conference after keynoting the 7th ASEAN Navy Chiefs Meeting in Makati City
that government prosecutors were studying the evidences, analyses and
"possible defenses that can be brought to court" in order to have a
rock-solid case against Napoles.
"The first charges with regards to this
issue, I understand, will be filed not later than Monday. There is a
possibility it can be filed by Friday. I will be given a briefing on what the
lawyers called the theory of the case, the evidence that supports the theory of
the case," the President said.
"So a complete briefing sometime this week;
and the commitment is not later than Monday next week, and possibly by Friday
this week," he noted. PND (rck)
