Ambassador Luis Cruz cites significance of
President Aquino’s state visit to South Korea
(SEOUL, South Korea) Philippine Ambassador to
Korea Luis Cruz cited the significance of the two-day State Visit of President
Benigno S. Aquino III to Seoul, South Korea from October 17 to 18.
"So i'd say that it's highly about time
that we have another visit here to reciprocate the visit made in 2011 by former
President Myung Bak of Korea. I'm saying this because Korea is one of our major
partners when it comes to various areas not only in political, economics, even
security arrangements, and people-to-people contacts where we are very strong.
As a matter of fact, Korea is now the number one tourists in the Philippines
for the last seven years." Ambassador Cruz said in an interview here.
He noted that practically, the Koreans
"treat us as blood brothers because of the tremendous help we have given
to them especially during the Korean war and the rehabilitation of Korea
immediately after the war."
" The visit of the President would be
highly significant in the sense that the two Presidents will be exchanging this
renewal of commitment to mutually help each other and believe that from hereon,
especially considering the fact that now the Philippines is taking off, we will
have more interaction," Ambassador Cruz said.
The other point that the Ambassador mentioned
was that " there is a new President here in Korea who begun her term of
office in February of this year, President Park Geun-Hye.
And one of the highlights of her foreign policy
in as far as Asia is concerned, he added "is that she has identified three
countries as the target of intensified cooperatiom especially in the area of
economic cooperation and Korea terms this as the VIPs–V for Vietnam, I for Indonesia
and P for the Philippines.
"That is why the first few countries
visited by President Park Geun-Hye was Vietnam and Indonesia, and now President
Aquino is making a State Visit here," Ambassador Cruz said,
Ambassador Cruz stressed that this is "a
testament to the fact that Korea has noticed the vast improvements and great
economic developments in the three countries."
"And I’d say that it is not only limited in
the Economic area but most especially in the people-to-people in the Aid
program in military cooperation, especially for the Philippines because this is
one of the things that will be signed during the visit," he said adding
that this will also be a testament to long, lasting friendship between the Philippines
and Korea. PND (rda)
Overseas Filipino workers in South Korea excited
to meet President Aquino
(SEOUL, South Korea) Overseas filipino workers
in South Korea are all "very excited to meet President Benigno S. Aquino
III during his two-day State Visit here from October 17 to 18."
Philippine Ambassador to Korea Luis Cruz said in
an interview here that many of the filipino overseas workers "are very
excited because it is very seldom that they get to meet the highest official of
the land."
He said that with the President's visit,
preparations were made and "we targetted a certain number of people, who
could come, so since we have this social networking facility here through
Facebook and e-mail we asked them (referring to the Filipino community) to
register.
He added that after they had reached a critical
number of Filipinos who registered, they closed the registratiion. Those who
registered their named will have the pleasure of personally meeting with the
President.
The President, who will be arriving here on
Thursday October 17, is expected to meet the Filipino community on Friday at
the Lotte Hotel. His visit to South Korea will be his first since he assumed
office.
Shortly after his arrival, there will be a short
program where the President will personally confer the Oder of Lakandula to
Rep. Jasmine Lee.
After the conferment ceremony, the President is
expected to deliver his meaage about the positive developments that are going
on in the Philippines since he assumed office in June 2010.
Ambassador Cruz pointed out that during the
President's meeting with the Filipino community, he will be likewise presenting
to President Aquino the five-year accomplishment report of the Filipino
community in Korea.
He noted that there are 45,000 Filipinos who are
working in Korea half of them are employed in factories and other Filipinos
include entertainers, professionals, students, and spouses of Korean nationals.
PND (rda)
Philippine Ambassador to Korea cites reasons why
Koreans tourists go to the Philippines
(SEOUL, South Korea) More Korean tourists are
visiting the Philippines due to its tourist attractions and the great local
food, Philippine Ambassador to Korea Luis Cruz said.
During an interview with Radio-TV Malacanang
here in Seoul, Ambassador Cruz indicated that Korea has become the top source
of tourists for the Philippines for the past few years.
Just last year, the Department of Tourism
recorded more than a million visitors from Korea or nearly a quarter of total
tourist arrivals to the Philippines.
“There is something that they found in the
Philippines that keeps them coming back,” he said. Aside from learning the
English language, the Ambassador noted that Koreans enjoy spending their
vacations by going to the Philippines.
Ambassador Cruz added that a lot of Korean
visitors go to the Philippines for shopping, spa and other leisure activities.
“So there are so many things that they like in the Philippines, that’s why they
keep on coming back,” he said.
He also credited the Department of Tourism for
the increasing number of Koreans visiting the country. Cruz said that it has
implemented various programs based on the survey conducted by the Gallup
Company to attract more tourists from Korea. He mentioned one survey where
respondents from Korea cited Filipino seafood as a particular favorite.
Cruz also cited the historical ties between the
Philippines and Korea that took root during the Korean War. “We helped them
during the rehabilitation of their country,” he said, adding that Koreans “have
very high regard for Filipinos.”
During the Korean War in 1950, the Philippine
Expeditionary Forces to Korea joined the UN-led coalition in defending the
freedom of the Korean people. Until today, both countries recognize this as the
bedrock of Philippine-Korean relations. PND (co)
South Korean government to roll out red carpet
for President Aquino's State Visit
(SEOUL, South Korea) President Benigno S. Aquino
III will receive a warm welcome when he arrives here on Thursday for a two-day
State VIsit, October 17 to 18.
The President will lead the wreath-laying
ceremonies at the Memorial Tower in Seoul National Cemetery before he proceeds
for the official welcome ceremonies at the Blue House, the Executive Office of
the Head of State of the Republic of Korea, where he will be officially
received by President Park Geun-Hye followed by the arrival honors.
There will be the firing of the 21 gun salute,
followed by the singing of the two national anthems of both the Republic of
Korea and the Philippines.
After the arrival honors, the President will be
ushered in to the lobby of the Blue House for the Signing of the Guest Book.
This will be followed by the Summit talks
between the President and President Park at the Jiphyeon Room of the Blue
House.
Then the President will also attend a State
Dinner hosted by President Park in his honor at the Banquet Hall of the State
Guest House.
He will likewise lead a Wreath-laying Ceremony
and Awarding of Recognition in honor of the former Senator Benigno Ninoy Aquino
Jr.
The President will also deliver his speech
before the Korean Business community at the Grand Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt
Hotel.
He will then proceed to have an interview by
CNN-Korea correspondent Paula Hancocks, also at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
Before the Farewell Ceremony at the Seoul
Airbase, the President will meet with the Filipino community at the Lotte Hotel
where he will brief them on the good and positive developments of the country
since he assumed office in June 2010.
He will then depart for Manila via Philippine
Airlines Chartered Flight PR 001. PND (rda)
Aquino checks out Bohol, leads distribution of
relief assistance
(TAGBILARAN CITY: President Benigno S. Aquino
III visited Bohol Wednesday to assess the damage of the earthquake that hit the
province Tuesday asking the people of Bohol to help one another to overcome the
crisis.
The President had an aerial tour of devastated
areas after arriving in Bohol and after that he proceeded to the Tagbilaran
Sports Complex to distribute relief goods to quake victims.
The Department of Public Works and Highways
reported that there are several bridges that were damaged by the quake and it
said that it will create temporary bridges in the next few weeks so that relief
goods could be transported to devastated areas.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development
on the other hand said there are more than 5,000 families affected by the
disaster and it is sending food packs and tents for victims staying at
temporary shelters.
Secretary Dinky Soliman said her department is
moving in tents not usable in Zamboanga City so people in Bohol could use them.
At the Tagbilaran Sports Complex, the President
led the distribution of relief assistance to around 800 individuals who waited
for him there.
In his message, the President asked for people’s
volunteerism and cooperation telling them to work together to overcome the
disaster that hit Bohol.
He made an assurance that his administration
will always be ready to assist communities affected by calamities and the
government has the resources to do so.
Among those who joined the President during his
visit here include Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson, Cabinet
Secretary Rene Almendras, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Social Welfare
Secretary Dinky Soliman, Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph
Emilio Abaya and Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning
Secretary Ramon Carandang.
After leading the distribution of relief
assistance, the President visited the Tagbilaran port, which according to
authorities needed P500 million for rehabilitation. The port is partially
operational but could not handle large cargoes, according to them.
The President proceeded to Cebu after visiting
Bohol to also assess the quake damage there. Bohol and Cebu were hit by a quake
with a magnitude of 7.2 in the Richter scale, causing massive damage to
infrastructure as well as loss of human lives. PND (as)
Congress has to decide on postponement of Bohol
barangay election, says Aquino
(TAGBILARAN CITY) Congress must come up with a
resolution postponing barangay elections in Bohol as what local officials want,
President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Wednesday.
The President arrived here Wednesday to assess
the damage of the quake that hit the province. He also led the distribution of
relief goods to affected individuals.
“The Congress has to come up with a resolution
doing that,” the President told Bohol officials during a briefing at the
Governor’s mansion here.
Local officials in Bohol said they want the
postponement of the barangay elections in the province so people and the local
government could focus their attention to address the challenges brought about
by Tuesday’s earthquake.
Rep. Rene Relampagos said they will do their
part and they hope the Aquino leadership supports them.
Bohol officials said the provincial government
will pass a resolution on the barangay election issue.
Also, after making an assessment of the whole
damage in the province, the provincial board has called and convened for the
declaration of state of calamity for the whole province.
The declaration of state of calamity allows the
release of calamity funds in the province to address immediate needs of the
local government. PND (as)
DSWD transports food packs to Bohol through the
air force
TAGBILARAN CITY: The Department of Social
Welfare and Development delivered Wednesday 2,000 food packs through a C-130
cargo plane of the Philippine Air Force in coordination with the National Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Council, Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman
said during a disaster response meeting presided by President Benigno S. Aquino
III here.
Aside from the food packs, the DSWD has also
delivered 38 pieces of trapal that can be used for tents by the affected
residents. Soliman reported that more than 5,000 families were affected by the
quake.
“The next round of C-130 delivery will complete
100 more, and we are negotiating with shelter box to deliver from Zamboanga
City 500 shelter box tents, because we already are able to provide bunkhouses
for some and the shelter box is not able to withstand the floods. So we’ll be
moving that—the shelter box tents and the trapals—it’s a roll of 1,000 meters
that can be temporarily used,” she said.
With the help of Cabinet Secretary Rene
Almendras, Soliman said they will be supplying the goods to Bohol from Cebu
given the shorter travel time involved.
The logistics run and the repacking area will be
in the University of Cebu, she said. Student volunteers will help in the
initiative, she said, adding they are also consulting with the office of the
governor.
Soliman said that in one week, they expect
affected families to return to their own places. The DSWD can also work with
the governor and the mayors on the emergency shelter assistance.
But the LGU must comply with the requirement:
first they must identify areas where the DSWD could develop the core shelter
community, and it has to be approved by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
To address the health needs of the people of
Bohol, Soliman said the Department of Health is bringing in not only medicines
but equipment that will take care of injuries that can’t be addressed by the
existing hospitals. PND (as)
Agencies working hard to restore infrastructure
in Bohol
(TAGBILARAN CITY) With three out of 14 bridges
in Bohol heavily damaged, the Department of Public Works and Highways said it
will provide temporary bridging materials to connect isolated areas in the
province.
In a briefing with President Benigno S. Aquino
III at the Governor’s mansion here, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio
Singson said the building materials will come from Bacolod and Aklan and will
take the department maximum of four weeks to build.
“We hope we’ll be able to do it in less than
four weeks. All the others are minor—‘yung mga approach lang, settlements—which
means that out of the 14, the 11 remaining should be passable within a week’s
time,” Singson told the President.
The private sector is also helping the
government assess the province’s structures, he said.
The Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers is
bringing in 10 structural engineers, together with the DPWH’s bridge and
structural engineers. The experts will be assessing hospitals, school buildings,
municipal halls, and public markets, he explained.
Although there are damages to roads, Singson
said they believe they could make most of the roads passable soon.
With regards to the condition of the Tagbilaran
Airport, Transportation and Communication Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said
the facility has opened since 10:30 a.m. yesterday. While there are limitation
the facility is structurally sound, he said.
As to the Tagbilaran Port, Abaya said it is
partially open. It could actually accommodate two non-RORO vessels and two RORO
vessels. The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) engineers are coming over to
assess the expansion of the cargo area to allow forklifts and trucks to move
containers.
Based on the initial assessment of the PPA, the
Tagbilaran port would need P500 million for repairs, Abaya said.
The Philippine Coast Guard has two vessels
assisting DSWD in its relief operations, he said. One is loading up in Manila
and another vessel in Cebu is also loading cargo to help the victims. PND (as)
President Aquino inspects places hit by quake in
Cebu
(CEBU CITY) President Benigno Aquino III on
Wednesday inspected the Provincial Capitol, Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino and a
public market that were damaged by the powerful earthquake that hit several
areas in Visayas and Mindanao Tuesday.
The President arrived at the Central Command
Headquarters in Lahug City at 1:40 p.m. on board the Presidential chopper along
with several Cabinet secretaries including Local Government Secretary Manuel
Roxas II, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Social Welfare Secretary Dinky
Soliman, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, Transportation and
Communications Secretary Jun Abaya, Secretary Ramon Carandang and Secretary to
the Cabinet Rene Almendras.
Upon arrival, President Aquino was welcomed by
Vice Governor Agnes Magpale and Representative Raul del Mar.
The President came here from a two-hour
inspection in Bohol, which was the worst affected by the 7.2 magnitude quake.
President Aquino first visited the Provincial
Capitol, checked the building interiors where he saw huge cracks on the walls
and inspected some rooms.
He also inspected a nearby Legislative Building
where he saw cracked walls and floors. The office of Vice Governor Magpale was
also not spared from the damage of the quake as some portions of the room
collapsed.
The President then proceeded to the Sto. Nino
Basilica Church, which was also damaged in the tremors. The limestone bell
tower of the historical church fell while other parts of church crumbled. The
right portion of the main entrance of the Philippine's oldest church collapsed,
its gate heavily damaged.
The President stayed outside the Basilica for
about 15 minutes talking to some priests and local officials and inspecting
debris from the church. He then went inside the church and inspected the area
where the century-old image of the Sto. Nino is found.
Around 4 p.m., the President then visited a
public market in Mandaue where one person was killed after a portion of the
market collapsed.
Some schools, shopping malls, buildings and
other establishments also sustained damages due to the strong quake that recorded
hundreds of aftershocks until Wednesday morning.
The President met with the Provincial Disaster
Risk Reduction Management Council and several local officials here and was
briefed regarding the extent of the damage of the quake in the province.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that at least 107 people were killed due
the quake: 97 people died in Bohol, nine in Cebu and one in Siquijor.
At least 276 people, meanwhile, were injured:
166 from Bohol, 106 from Cebu, three from Siquijor and one from Negros
Oriental.
Authorities still expect the death toll to rise
as some affected areas remained inaccessible to vehicles.
Malacanang earlier assured that assistance will
be provided to those affected and displaced by the quake. PND (jb)
Aquino directs officials to speed up
rehabilitation efforts for Bohol, Cebu communities
(CEBU CITY) President Benigno. S. Aquino III
directed on Wednesday officials of concerned government agencies to devise
strategies to speed up rehabilitation efforts for the affected communities in
Cebu and Bohol provinces following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
The Chief Executive flew to Cebu province to
assess the situation in areas affected by the earthquake. He then toured the
Cebu Capitol, Sto. Nino Basilica, Mandaue Market among other areas.
A state of calamity has been declared by the
government in Cebu and Bohol provinces.
During his visit to Cebu province, the President
met officials of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC), concerned government agencies and local government units in devising
strategies to minimize the impact of the earthquake and immediately restore the
living conditions of affected residents.
Operations of all sea vessels in Cebu City,
Negros Island, Bohol, Iloilo, Aklan and other nearby Visayas provinces were
suspended on Tuesday.
In Cebu City, several national and local
government teams continue to conduct assessment and rescue efforts in the
affected areas while government medical teams attended to those who were
injured.
Many areas were hit by power cuts, stopping some
transport links and forcing hospitals to evacuate patients to open spaces as
aftershocks rocked the province.
The NDRRMC said a total of 558,390 families
(some 2,841,956 persons) were affected in seven cities, 27 municipalities, 879
barangays all in Bohol, Cebu and, Siquijor as of Wednesday. A total of 2,533
families (12,665 persons) were displaced and currently stayed in 13 evacuation
centers in the affected areas.
The Disaster Response Team (DRT) in Naval Forces
Central Visayas were deployed at the Sto. Nino Basilica to assist in the
clearing operations of the collapsed bell tower while the Department of Health was
initially placed on code red alert status.
According to the DOH, six hospitals/health
facilities in Bohol sustained cracks but were found to be functional and
operational.
DPWH-V coordinated with its District Engineering
Offices regarding the effects of earthquake in their area of responsibility,
while the Department of Education activated its disaster risk reduction and
management office and announced the suspension of classes in Cebu City and the
whole of Bohol. PND (js)
President Aquino directs assessment of
structural integrity of buildings following the earthquake
(CEBU CITY) President Benigno S. Aquino III
issued a directive on Wednesday for the assessment of the structural integrity
of the buildings to start after a strong quake hit Cebu, Bohol and other
provinces.
In a briefing with Cabinet secretaries and other
local government officials on Wednesday in Mactan, Cebu, the Chief Executive
instructed the officials to check the buildings to make sure that they are
still safe following the 7.2 huge earthquake on Tuesday.
"I'm not an engineer or an architect ---
but there seems to be questions in the quality of the workmanship in some of
these places. There has be a review of the systems, " he said.
The President also expressed concern over the
structural integrity of the school buildings, saying he was worried for the
safety of the students.
The President lauded the government agencies and
local officials for their immediate response to the needs of the affected
communities.
The government also activated regional offices
of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to ensure immediate
response once LGUs would request for assistance.
Interior and Local government Secretary Manuel
Roxas, Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, Defense Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin, continue to coordinate with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council office to speed up rescue and rehabilitation efforts for the
affected provinces.
Residents fled their homes during the powerful earthquake
but some returned home soon after the quake.
"Anyway, at the end of the day, we just
like to assure the governor and other local government officials present that
the national government is ready to assist and we have the necessary funds
available," he said.
"Just make sure that all the mayors have their
geohazard maps and you review and see if there are potential issues with the
communities residing in areas that might have hazards," he said. PND (js)
