President Aquino declares November 7 as special
non-working day in the municipality of
Cuenca, Batangas in celebration of 137th Foundation Day
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
November 7, which falls on a Thursday as a special (non-working) day in the
municipality of Cuenca in the province of Batangas in celebration of its 137th
Foundation Day."
The Chief Executive issued the declaration by
virtue of Proclamation No. 672 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa
Jr. on October 17 to give the people of Cuenca the full opportunity to
celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
Cuenca was founded by virtue of the decree
issued by the Superior Govierno on August 11, 1875. Once part of San Jose, it
became an independent town in 1876. PND (js)
President Aquino leads the nation in exercising
the right to vote
President Benigno S. Aquino III will cast his
vote on Monday for the 2013 barangay elections in his hometown in Tarlac,
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio ‘Sonny’
Coloma, Jr. said on Sunday.
"Sa gaganaping pambarangay na halalan,
pangungunahan ng Pangulong Aquino ang 54 na milyong botante sa pagpili ng mga
mamumuno at maglilingkod sa ating mga barangay," Coloma said in an
interview aired over government-run radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on
Sunday.
Coloma said 54 million voters will troop to
polling precincts on Monday for the barangay elections as the Commission on
Elections (COMELEC) and other concerned government agencies expressed readiness
to ensure the orderly, honest, peaceful and credible conduct of this political
exercise.
"Kinikilala natin ang mahalagang tungkulin
na ginagampanan ng mga gurong bumubuo ng mga Board of Election Inspectors na
mangangasiwa sa maayos na daloy ng pagboto sa bawat isang presinto, at ng mga
mamamayang bumubuo ng mga citizens’ arms na kaagapay ng COMELEC sa pagtiyak ng
maayos na proseso ng halalan," Coloma stressed.
"Ayon sa COMELEC, 94,124 ang mga kandidato
para sa 42,028 na posisyon ng punong barangay, samantalang 715,012 naman ang
mga kandidato para 294,196 na posisyon bilang kagawad," Coloma said.
Deployment of ballots and other poll materials
has already been completed while the Philippine National Police and the Armed
Forces of the Philippines are now on full alert status to ensure peaceful and
orderly polls.
The government called on the Filipinos to vote,
reminding them of the importance of choosing the right leaders.
"Ang barangay ang batayang istitusyon ng
ating lipunan. Ang bawat mamamayan ay may taya sa resulta ng halalang
pambarangay. Ang mabuting pamamahala o good governance ay nag-uumpisa sa
pagpili ng mabubuting pinunong pambarangay at mga kagawad ng barangay,"
Coloma stressed.
"Tiyakin nating ang mahahalal na mga punong
barangay at kagawad ay may sapat na kakayahan sa pagsulong sa kapakanan ng mga
mamamayan at mapagkakatiwalaang pangalagaan ang integridad ng pondo ng
bayan," he said.
"Ang ating pagtahak sa daang matuwid ay
nagsisimula sa barangay. Sa bawat pamilya at tahanang bumubuo ng barangay,
pinapanday ang mga pagpapahalaga o values para sa katotohanan, katuwiran, at
katarungan. Ang mga mithiin at pangarap ng mga mamamayan para sa maaliwalas na
kinabukasan ay nagsisimula sa barangay," he said.
The government is calling on the youth to
support democracy by casting their votes for the advancement of the country,
Coloma said.
"Ang kabataan ang siyang bumubuo ng
pinakamalaking bahagi sa hanay ng mga botante. Ang pagsanib ng ideyalismo ng
kabataan at dunong ng kanilang mga magulang at mga nakatatanda ay makabubuo ng
malakas na pwersa para sa pagbabago, mula sa barangay hanggang sa mga bayan,
lungsod, lalawigan, rehiyon, at buong bansa," he said.
"Sa kasalukuyang panahon na madalas tayong
dalawin ng bagyo at iba pang kalamidad, matingkad din ang kahalagahan ng
barangay sa paghahanda, pagkalinga, at pagbibigay-seguridad sa ating mga
mamamayan," Coloma stressed.
Coloma said the government is hoping for a good
voter turnout.
"Nananawagan po ang ating Pangulo sa
sambayanan, bumoto po tayo nang maaga at tiyakin nating ang halalang pambarangay
ay magpapatatag sa ating pagpupunyaging pairalin ang mabuting pamamahala sa
ating bansa," he said. PND (js)
Government agencies making necessary
preparations for 'Undas 2013,' Palaca says
Government agencies especially those concerned
with transportation and traffic management are now making the necessary
preparations days before thousands of citizens troop to their hometowns for the
annual Day of the Dead or “Undas”, Malacañang said.
Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. of the
Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) told Radyo ng Bayan (DZRB)
on Sunday that they always expect a huge volume of people traveling home during
these holidays to pay tribute to their deceased loved ones.
Coloma said the national government though the
Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) is primarily focusing on
maintaining the good condition of roads, seaports, and airports to ensure the
safety of the traveling public.
“Sa lahat po ng larangan ng pagbiyahe at
trasportasyon—sa kalupaan, sa karagatan, at sa himpapawid—ay puspusan ang
pagtutok ng ating Department of Transportation and Communications. Meron po
silang mga ahensya na may pangunahing responsibilidad sa pagtiyak sa kaligtasan
at kaayusan ng trasportasyon,” he stated.
The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA)
also will certainly deploy traffic enforcers to aid the Philippine National
Police (PNP) in maintaining peace and order in various bus terminals, seaports,
and airports, Coloma added.
People are expected to take advantage of the
long weekend this week for Undas with November 1 and 2 declared as holidays by
Malacañang, which would fall on Friday and Saturday respectively.
“Batay po sa karanasan, pinakamarami ‘yung
bilang ng ating mga kababayan na bumibiyahe sa panahon ng Undas. Lumuluwas po
sila mula sa lugar ng kanilang hanapbuhay o trabaho patungo sa kanilang mga
hometown para magbigay galang sa mga yumaong kamag-anak at mahal sa buhay,”
Coloma said. PND (hdc)
Malacanang lauds 2013 Nobel Peace Prize winning
UN group with Filipino member
The Aquino government led the entire Filipino
nation in lauding the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
(OPCW) for winning the Nobel Peace Prize for 2013, Presidential Communications
Operations Office Secretary Herminio ‘Sonny’ Coloma, Jr. said on Sunday,
considering that a Filipino is head for inspector training of the UN-backed
group.
In an interview aired over government-run radio
station DzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Sunday, Coloma said the government congratulated
the OPCW whose one of the officers is a Filipino.
Franz Ontal, 49, head of inspector training of
OPCW, grew up in Victorias City, Negros Occidental. In 2005, he joined the OPCW
as a medic for the chemical weapons inspector and disposal teams. He was
promoted as head of inspector training, a position he still holds.
"May dahilang magbunyi ang buong bansa sa
paggawad ng 2013 Nobel Peace Prize. Kabilang si Ginoong Franz Ontal ng
Victorias City, Negros Occidental sa pangkat ng Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons na itinanghal bilang Nobel Peace Prize Winner
sa taong ito," Coloma said.
"Tulad ng libu-libong overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs), sinasalamin ni Ginoong Ontal ang kanilang bukod tanging husay,
galing, at kasipagan kaya kinikilala natin sila bilang mga bayani ng
bayan," he said.
"Bilang head ng inspector training ng OPCW,
mahalaga ang papel na ginagampanan niya at ng kanyang organisasyon sa pagtupad
sa puspusang kampanya ng United Nations na pigilin ang paggamit ng mga
sandatang kemikal laban sa mga mamamayang apektado ng digmaan at
karahasan," Coloma stressed.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored the Hague,
Netherlands-based global chemical watchdog OPCW "for its extensive efforts
to eliminate chemical weapons."
The OPCW is the implementing body of the
Chemical Weapons Convention, the first international treaty to outlaw an entire
class of chemical weapons.
The OPCW, formed in 1997, currently has a team
on the ground in Syria to destroy President Bashar al-Assad's reported
stockpile of chemical weapons.
In its citation, the Nobel committee said the
organization and the treaty under which it was founded in 1997 “have defined
the use of chemical weapons as a taboo under international law.”
“Recent events in Syria, where chemical weapons
have again been put to use, have underlined the need to enhance the efforts to
do away with such weapons,” the citation said. PND (js)
