President Aquino moves to preserve Busuanga
Pasture Reserve
President Benigno Aquino III has taken
protective action to preserve the Busuanga Pasture Reserve in Palawan province
by revoking a presidential proclamation issued under the previous
administration that would effectively allow the conversion of vast tracts of
pasture land into some other use.
In Proclamation No. 663 he signed on October 14,
the President repealed Presidential Proclamation (PP) No. 2057 issued by former
President Gloria Arroyo authorizing the state-run Philippine Forest Corp.
(Philforest) to administer tourism-related developments in the Busuanga
property.
The Chief Executive also transferred the
administration of the pasture reserve to the Forest Management Bureau (FMB) of
the Department of Environment and Natural Resources from Philforest, one of
five state entities earlier recommended to be abolished by the Governance
Commission for Government-Owned and–Controlled Corporations.
PP 2057 was issued on May 7, 2010 and empowered
Philforest to assess, evaluate and determine the possibility of redefining or
modifying the use of the Busuanga land, and based on such assessment, to
identify and implement other economic activities to develop the area.
Under Arroyo’s proclamation, Philforest was
mandated to prioritize certain business and economic activities to boost the
infrastructure development in Busuanga such as hotel, housing and
accommodation, ports, airports, and other transport and communication
components.
Records showed that even before PP2057 was
issued, the government had already awarded contracts to 10 firms to develop
portions of the pasture and grazing land in Busuanga.
However, in December 2011, the Philforest board
terminated the contracts for failure of the awardees to submit their latest
project development plans despite several notices. The board also discovered
during periodic inspections that no activities and improvements were introduced
by the firms, constituting abandonment of the project.
In revoking PP 2057, President Aquino said its
provisions run counter to Proclamation 1397, issued in 1975 by then President
Ferdinand Marcos, declaring the Busuanga land as a pasture reserve “withdrawn
from any form of disposition, exploration or exploitation.”
President Aquino stripped Philforest of control
over the Busuanga reserve and placed it under the FMB, formerly the Bureau of
Forestry, which has “jurisdiction and authority over the administration,
protection and management of pasture lands,” pursuant to Commonwealth Act No.
452.
President Aquino receives credentials of British
and Mexican envoys
President Benigno S. Aquino III accepted the
credentials of the two new ambassadors to the Philippines from the countries of
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Mexico during a simple
ceremony at the Music Room of the Malacañang Palace on Tuesday.
At 10:30 a.m., the President first met with Asif
Anwar Ahmad, who presented his credentials as Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The new United Kingdom envoy was accompanied by
Trevor James Lewis, deputy head of mission; Stephen Lysaght, head of political
section; Brendan Gill, British embassy consul; and April Gonzalez Cheng, local
staff association of the British Embassy.
President Aquino, on the other hand, was joined
by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario in welcoming the new
ambassador and his party.
In presenting his credentials, Ambassador Ahmad
thanked President Aquino for welcoming him to the country and assured of
British commitment to further enhance the bilateral relationship between the
Philippines and the United Kingdom.
The President and Secretary Del Rosario then
ushered the Ambassador and his party to the adjoining room for a closed-door
meeting.
Following the meeting, the President then
welcomed His Excellency Julio Camarena Villaseñor as Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of the United Mexican States also at the Music Room at 11
a.m.
Ambassador Villaseñor was accompanied by Mexico
Deputy Chief of Mission Chris Clay Mendoza.
Secretary del Rosario, meanwhile, was joined by
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Carlos Sorreta and other DFA officials.
The new Mexican envoy also expressed his
gratitude to the President for the warm welcome and also made a commitment to
further strengthen his country’s bilateral ties with the Philippines.
President Aquino also had a closed-door meeting
with Ambassador Villaseñor. PND (jb)
President Aquino receives United Nations
official in Malacanang
President Benigno S. Aquino III welcomed United
Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines Luiza Carvalho
at a courtesy call in Malacanang’s Music Room at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
Joining the President in welcoming Carvalho were
Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.
Carvalho’s UN Team in the Philippines was behind
the P126-million funding from the United Nations released this month for the relief
and rehabilitation efforts in Zamboanga City.
At the height of the armed conflict, Carvalho
was among those who joined the nation and international humanitarian
communities in condemning the violence in Zamboanga and called for the
protection of human rights especially women and children who suffered during
the clashes.
Carvalho is concurrently the resident
representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the
Philippines. She is also the UN Designated Official for Security.
From 2008 to 2012, she was assigned as resident
coordinator of UN in Costa Rica, and worked as representative for the UNDP in
Venezuela and Brazil. PND (jb)
Palace: Relief groups must consider people’s
welfare first
Malacanang said it would try to help reconcile
the positions of the Philippine Red Cross and the local government Maribojoc,
Bohol, so relief goods could reach the needy and eliminate misunderstandings
between relief groups.
“Pagsisikapan ng ating pamahalaan na mapaglapit
ang pananaw ng mga taong nasa ground dahil nga hindi naman nakakatulong ang
magkaroon pa ng iringan. Ang dapat po talagang manaig ay ang pakikipagtulungan
ng lahat ng mga tumutulong,” Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a press briefing in Malacanang on
Tuesday.
It was reported that the Maribojoc mayor in
Bohol attempted to stop the distribution of relief goods, telling Red Cross
personnel he wanted relief goods turned over to the LGU, so that they can be
the ones to do the distribution.
Although the Red Cross and the local government
have their own positions on how relief goods are distributed to the people,
Coloma said the Palace would rather that they agree on a more efficient and
faster distribution of relief items.
“Ang dapat pong makita natin ay ‘yung paghahatid
ng kagyat na pagtugon sa mga pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayang nasalanta
ng kalamidad, lalung-lalo na ‘yung patungkol sa pagkain at ‘yung sa sisilungan
nila. ‘Yung pinaka-basic needs nila, in terms of food and shelter, should not
be jeopardized by any disagreements on the manner of distribution of relief
goods,” he said.
Coloma acknowledged the realities on the ground
particularly the challenges being faced by relief organizations that want to
reach people in need.
In a big disaster such as the Bohol quake, one
of the challenges is logistics, Coloma said. Relief organizations have to deal
with obstacles on the ground to immediate distribute relief goods.
For this reason, he said President Aquino always
asks for updates from officials to ensure that there’s no hindrance for people
getting the necessary support the soonest.
With regards to restoring power in the affected
areas, Coloma said the Department of Energy is working hard to fix destroyed
lines so the supply of electricity could normalize. PND (as)
Work plan needed before release of Bohol
reconstruction budget, says Coloma
The budget department will release the P7
billion for the Department of Public Works and Highways for Bohol
reconstruction once a work plan is crafted.
Releasing the fund for Bohol rehabilitation
needs urgency so the local economy as well as the people’s lives could
normalize, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio
Coloma Jr. said in a press briefing in Malacanang on Tuesday.
“Ito po ay isa sa mga dinudumog ng mga tourists
at makakaapekto po ‘yon sa mobility ng ating mga domestic and foreign tourists
kung hindi po maa-address ang damage to infrastructure,” he said.
Asked where the government will source the P7
billion, Coloma said the government has many authorized sources of fund to be
used for Bohol reconstruction. He made an assurance that whatever disbursement
the government may have it will be based on the law.
As to the use of the road user’s tax, Coloma
said the Palace will be awaiting an update on the disbursement being made on
said special fund.
On the support being extended by foreign donors,
Coloma said the Palace welcomes the help coming from other countries. PND (as)
Palace: Young workforce will be huge factor for
sustained economic growth
The country’s demographic sweet spot refers to
its young, vibrant workforce that could be sustained for many decades if
nurtured well, Malacanang said on Tuesday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma said in a press briefing on Tuesday that based on
several studies the country’s young population in addition to the positive
economic growth will become an asset for the country in the coming years.
In terms of demographics the Philippines has a
huge number of working age people because of its high growth rate in
population, he said.
“Kapag tiningnan ang trajectory ng ating GDP per
capita growth ay puwede itong pumalo ng lampas sa $6,000, in a space of four
years between 2015 and 2019,” he added.
The country’s highly competent,
English-speaking, globally competitive work force, if cared well, could be a
major contributor to the economy for as long as 40 years, Coloma said.
Asked about the kind of jobs that await these
young people, Coloma said the Aquino government is moving from service-oriented
jobs to manufacturing. In the 2014, national budget, the administration has
concrete programs to widen the country’s manufacturing base.
Contained in the 2014 national budget are
programs that focus on the agricultural sector that include food processing and
coconut diversification, he said noting that these areas could create a
stronger multiplier effect.
“Yun pong sa manufacturing, bukod doon sa ating
inherent strength na sa kasalukuyan sa service sector where we are regarded as
the BPO capital dahil nga po sa desirable characteristics ng ating workforce.”
The government is also working hard to match the
skills of young workers to the country’s educational system, he said.
“Kaya nga ang kasabay doon sa ating economic
development efforts ay ang pagsisikap sa educational sector na magkaroon ng
closer match between the job opportunities at ang skill set na ipo-produce ng
ating educational system,” Coloma said.
“Tuwing magkakaroon ng job fair, ‘yon pong sponsored
ng DOLE, marami pa pong hard-to-fill jobs na tinuturing. Kaya ito po ay
ina-address, hindi lamang doon sa aspeto ng higher education, pero doon din sa
aspeto ng technical-vocational sector,” he said.
The Technical Educations and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA) has programs to prepare the skills of young workers for the
needs of the industries. PND (as)
Palace remains focused on ensuring
accountability on use of public money
Malacanang reiterated that the overall focus of
the administration is accountability on the use of public funds particularly
with regards to the issue of P10-billion pork barrel scam.
“Wala po kaming particular na focus sa mga
specific events na ganyan dahil napakarami ng inaasikaso ngayon lalung-lalo na
iyong proseso ng pagto-to hold accountable iyong pong mga pinaghihinalaang
lumustay ng pondo ng bayan,” Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
The Senate issued a subpoena on Monday summoning
alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles to testify before the
chamber’s blue ribbon committee on November 7.
Coloma said the Palace has no special
pre-occupation on any person or event and it’s up to the lawmakers to deal with
Napoles’s in the Senate inquiry.
Whatever the course of the investigation, he
said the Palace will pursue the accountability process from the Ombudsman to
the Sandiganbayan on those involved in the scam.
Asked to comment on the Pulse Asia Survey
showing 8 out of 10 respondents believe that 50 percent of the Priority
Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) has been stolen, Coloma said the Palace
shares the public’s view on the need to put a stop to the abuse of PDAF use.
“Nagkaisa kami na ang mga mamamayan na nagnanais
na matigil ang anumang anyo ng paglulustay ng pondo ng bayan. Kailangan po
talagang pagkaisahan natin ‘yan sapagkat mahalaga ang bawat piso sa pondo ng
bayan sa pagpapasigla ng ating ekonomiya at sa pagpapaunlad ng ating bayan,” he
said.
The President removed PDAF, stressing the
prudent use of public funds. PND (as)
Malacanang to hold two-day open government
budget data hackathon on November 9 & 10
The Aquino government has invited programmers
and designers to participate during the two-day "open government budget
data hackathon" to be held this November, a Palace official said.
"We are pleased to announce that the Open
Data Philippines Task Force will be holding a two-day open data hackathon this
November. The event, called #KabantayNgBayan, will be open to IT developers and
designers interested in creating innovative mobile or web-based applications
utilizing government data," Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte
said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
The Open Data Philippines Task Force is composed
of the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson, Department of Budget and
Management, and the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic
Office.
Valte said the event will be held at the Sadoce,
12/F Smart Tower I, Ayala Avenue, Makati, on November 9-10. The registration
for interested participants started on Monday.
"The event is open to groups of three to
four with a mix of developers and designers. The data to be used for this
hackathon will center on the national government budget. The challenge will be
to build applications that will present new ways to increase public awareness
and track government spending," Valte said.
Valte said #KabantayNgBayan is envisioned to produce
apps that will not only aid government performance but also encourage the
citizenry to participate in good governance, specifically in the areas of
public financial management.
"This event is one of several focused on
open government data leading up to the November launch of data.gov.ph, a
website that will serve as a portal to public national government
datasets," she said.
Valte invited interested programmers and
designers to visit the website for more details and to register:
data.gov.ph/hackathon.
#KabantayNgBayan was organized in partnership
with Microsoft, Smart Developers Network, Smart Bro, IdeaSpace Foundation, and
the National Competitiveness Council, and is sponsored by Red Bull, Pepsi,
Krispy Kreme, and Mozilla Philippines. PND (js)
