President Aquino declares October 28 as special
non-working day for Sychronized Barangay Elections
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
October 28, which falls on a Monday, as a special (non-working) holiday
throughout the country for the Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan
(SK) Elections, a Palace official said.
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
announced during the regular press briefing in Malacanang Palace on Tuesday
that the Chief Executive issued Proclamation No. 656 on September 25.
President Aquino noted that it is important to
give the people the fullest opportunity to participate in the said elections
and exercise their right to vote.
"Wala pa ang bill on postponement that’s
why, it says “Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections”....I
would refer you to the special pay rules issued by the Department of Labor (and
Employment) on pay rules for special non-working holidays," Valte said.
The President earlier directed the law
enforcement agencies and other concerned agencies to coordinate and cooperate
with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in ensuring free, orderly, honest,
peaceful, and credible Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections
on October 28.
The directive was issued by virtue of Memorandum
Order (MO) No. 56 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on July
23.
The Comelec, through its Resolution No. 9731 (s.
2013), resolved to request the concurrence of the President in the deputation
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police (PNP),
and other law enforcement agencies, in connection with Synchronized Barangay
and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.
"Pursuant to Section 2 (4), Article IX-C of
the Constitution, the COMELEC is empowered to deputize, with the concurrence of
the President, law enforcement agencies and instrumentalities of the
Government, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, for the exclusive
purpose of ensuring free, orderly, honest, peaceful, and credible
elections," the MO read.
The Chief Executive concurred with COMELEC
Resolution No. 9731, deputizing AFP, PNP and other law enforcement agencies, to
assist COMELEC in ensuring the free, orderly, honest, peaceful, and credible
conduct of October elections. PND (js)
Malacanang appeals to Filipinos to take time to
review facts about the Disbursement Acceleration
Malacanang appealed to Filipinos to take time to
review the facts on the Disbursement Acceleration Plan (DAP), which it said had
been in operation since 2011.
In a press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday,
Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the DAP, a program that
identifies fast-moving government projects that could be accorded additional
funding from savings, was used to fast track disbursements and push economic
growth in light of the global slowdown and the onslaught of recent calamities.
“Perhaps, at this point, it would be good to
point out that while some are attempting to paint DAP with the same brush as
they have done with PDAF, it’s good to just go through the information that we
have already released on this, since the inception of the DAP in 2011,” Valte
said.
She added the idea that the initial tranche of
P72.11-billion of the DAP approved in 2011 went entirely to lawmakers is a
misconception.
“That is a misconception because I can tell you
now that a very big percentage of the fund was actually coursed through the
implementing agencies themselves; meaning, agencies in the executive,” Valte
said. PND (rck)
Palace shares public perception on peace deal
with MILF
Malacanang shared the public’s optimism over the
perception that the government could seal a peace deal with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) to end four decades of conflict in Mindanao.
A recent Social Weather Station (SWS) survey
conducted from June 28 to 30 nationwide said 70 percent of the 1,200
respondents showed optimism that a peace deal with the MILF can be achieved.
The 70 percent who showed optimism over a peace
deal included 28 percent who were “very hopeful” and 42 percent who were
"somewhat hopeful."
The figures are a lower than the survey results
recorded last March, when 79 percent of the respondents were hopeful that the
peace deal with the MILF can be completed (41 percent "very hopeful"
and 38 percent "somewhat hopeful").
But Malacanang is still hopeful, saying at least
majority of Filipinos believe a peace deal is possible although the survey
found the people’s declining optimism about the peace agreement happening
within the Aquino administration.
Valte said negotiators from both sides have just
concluded their discussions in Malaysia and will reconvene to continue working
on the remaining annexes of the peace agreement.
Also, the SWS survey found that the number of
Filipinos who think that the peace deal will be forged within the term of
President Benigno S. Aquino III decreased from 49 percent last March to 35
percent in June.
The survey also said that among the four major
areas polled, Mindanao showed the most optimism on a peace deal with 34 percent
“very hopeful” respondents, followed by Visayas (30 percent), Metro Manila (27
percent) and Balance Luzon (24 percent). PND (as)
