President Aquino declares November 12 as special
non-working day in Valenzuela City in celebration of ‘Araw ng Valenzuela’
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
November 12, which falls on a Tuesday, as a special (non-working) day in
Valenzuela City, Metro Manila in celebration of "Araw ng Valenzuela."
The Chief Executive issued the declaration by
virtue of Proclamation No. 678 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa
Jr. on November 6 to give the people of Valenzuela the full opportunity to
celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
The city marks the celebration of its 390th
Foundation Day.
During the Spanish colonization, Valenzuela,
then known as sitio Polo, was then incorporated into the township of Catangalan
(now Meycauayan) in the Bulacan alcaldia.
In 1623, Spanish Governor-General Alonso Fajardo
de Entenza ordered the separation of sitio Polo from Catangalan and its
establishment as an independent town.
Polo was changed into its present name in honor of
Dr. Pio Valenzuela, the city’s most distinguished son who had figured
prominently in the Philippine revolution against Spain during the late 19th
century. PND (js)
Palace says proactive efforts continue to
minimize damage from Yolanda
Amid efforts to assist those affected by Typhoon
Yolanda (Haiyan) and to restore power and communications, the government
continues to employ proactive efforts to minimize the loss of lives, Malacañang
said Friday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. also said an additional P53.24 million
has been earmarked for assistance to those affected by Yolanda.
"Sa ngayon, walang dahilan para mabahala.
Ang mapapansin natin, ang pagsisikap ng pamahalaan ay maging proactive ang mauna
tayo sa sitwasyon at magkaroon ng sapat na inpormasyon ang ating mga kababayan
para huwag na maulit ang naganap noong nakaraan dahil sa kulang ang
impormasyon, maraming nasawi o naapektuhan ng kalamidad (What we in government
have been doing is to be proactive. We are giving information to the public in
advance so they can make informed choices and prevent loss of lives),"
Coloma said at a media briefing in Malacañang.
He also said the government had already
conducted preemptive actions with the early evacuation of some 26,675 families
or 125,604 people in potential danger zones.
He added the government continues to monitor the
movement of Yolanda so it can warn people in areas in the typhoon's path.
"Ang bulk ng aming nakuhang report at
mino-monitor pa ngayon ay yung movement ng typhoon, so that we can still give
adequate warning to our people (Our efforts to monitor Yolanda's movements are
meant to give people adequate warning)," Coloma said.
"Nakatuon ang buong puwersa ng pamahalaan
sa pagtulong sa ating mga mamamayan at paglalayo sa kanila sa panganib sa
pinsalang hatid ng Super Typhoon Yolanda (The government is going all-out to
help protect people from the effects of Super Typhoon Yolanda)," he said.
Super Typhoon Yolanda had made several landfalls
in various parts of the country Friday. State weather forecasters said it may
exit the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday.
Coloma said concerned government agencies remain
on full alert, with the Department of Social Welfare and Development earmarking
an additional P53.24 million for relief operations.
The DSWD is also calling on volunteers to help
repack relief goods.
For his part, Department of Health Secretary
Enrique Ona has ordered government hospitals to tend to those affected.
Government agencies are also monitoring the
water level of dams in areas where heavy rain from Yolanda had fallen.
Meanwhile, the National Grid Corp. of the
Philippines is working to restore power in Catbalogan, Samar; Southern Leyte;
parts of Western and Eastern Leyte; Calbayog City in Samar; Tacloban City and
Palo, Leyte; and part of Surigao del Norte.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines
had ordered the suspension of operations of airports in areas affected by
Yolanda.
On the other hand, Coloma said the government is
not giving up on its zero casualty goal, and is aiming to improve its disaster
response mechanism.
"Hindi tayo natitinag sa layuning zero
casualty ... Yan pa rin ang gusto nating matamo (We are not abandoning our goal
of zero casualty. That is still our target)," he said. PND (jl)
Palace: Efforts continuing to resolve Manila
hostage tragedy row despite Hong Kong lawmakers' motion for visa sanction
Despite a reported motion from Hong Kong
lawmakers to scrap Filipinos' visa-free access to Hong Kong, the Philippine
government continues to quietly work to resolve the situation, Malacañang said
Friday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr.
said the Philippine government's position to quietly work toward a
"mutually satisfying conclusion" to the row has not changed.
"Our position remains the same. Both sides
are working quietly to address these concerns and reach a mutually satisfying
conclusion," Coloma said at a media briefing.
He added the Philippines remains focused on
working with Hong Kong to achieve a resolution.
In the meantime, Coloma appealed to Filipinos
who may be affected by such a sanction to remain calm as the government will
continue to look after their welfare.
"Ang gobyerno natin ay tuwirang
nakikipag-ugnayan sa kanila. Habang patuloy ang pakikipag-ugnayan, patuloy ang
focus na matamo ang ultimate objective (Our government continues to work with
the Hong Kong government. While this is going on, we remain focused on
achieving our ultimate objective)," he said.
Coloma pointed out that the Philippine Consulate
General continues to coordinate with the Department of Foreign Affairs to
achieve this goal.
Besides, Coloma said President Benigno S. Aquino
III and Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying had agreed at the sidelines
of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meet in Indonesia to reach a mutually
satisfactory closure.
"Mutual yan. Nagsimula sa mutual agreement
from the face-to-face meeting. Doon galing ang daloy ng kasalukyang pangyayari
(We are undertaking mutual efforts. We have a mutual agreement that stemmed
from President Aquino and Chief Executive Leung's face-to-face meeting. That is
what our ongoing efforts are based on)," he said.
The row stemmed from a hostage taking incident
in Manila on Aug. 23, 2010, when a dismissed policeman took a busload of Hong
Kong tourists hostage to demand his reinstatement in the police force.
But a botched police rescue attempt resulted in
the death of the policeman and many of his hostages.
Following the incident, Hong Kong has imposed a
black travel warning that discourages its residents from visiting the
Philippines.
Earlier this week, a Hong Kong news site
reported that Hong Kong lawmakers voted in favor of a non-binding motion to
press the Hong Kong government to impose sanctions on Manila, and to cancel
visa-free access of Filipinos to Hong Kong. PND (jl)
President Aquino says securing people’s health
remains the most important national agenda
President Benigno S. Aquino III reiterated that
securing the people's health remains the most important national agenda.
In his message to the Philippine Naturopathic
Society Inc. (PNSI), the Chief Executive cited the naturopathic sector for
efforts to help the government in realizing its goal to provide better health
for the Filipinos.
"We consider groups who help us realize
this responsibility as important partners in nation-building. As advocates of
naturopathy, you introduce various methods that expand our current approaches
to healing, complementing traditional medicine," the President said to
PNSI on the occasion of the Second Philippine Naturopathic Practitioners’
Convention and Exhibition.
"May this convention lead to an even
greater understanding and awareness of your field, establishing for it a bigger
role in national rejuvenation, that your practice may gain wider approval among
our people and earn greater acceptance among medical professionals," the
President said.
He said the Philippines's collective success as
a nation depends on the commitment of all sectors of society to rise to the
challenge of citizenship and contribute resources and skills towards securing
the welfare of the Filipino people.
"As long as integrity, excellence, and service
define our pursuits, we will succeed in our endeavors as we continue our
journey on the straight and righteous path towards a more equitably progressive
Philippines," he said.
Naturopathic doctors are health practitioners
trained in family practice with a specialty in natural medicine. PND (js)
Government to prioritize restoring power,
communication in typhoon-ravaged areas, says Palace
Malacanang said the government will ask
telecommunications companies to make their system available particularly in
areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda so that people could easily communicate
with their families.
The priority is to restore power in those areas
so that the communication system could work, Presidential Communications
Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said in a press
briefing in Malacanang on Friday.
“Bibigyan po ng prayoridad ng National Grid
Corp. ang restoration of power kasi mahalagang elemento po ito sa connectivity.
Nakikipag-ugnayan din tayo sa mga telecommunications company dahil kahit walang
kuryente maaari pong magamit ang mga mobile phones,” Coloma told reporters.
The National Grid Corp., according to Coloma, is
working double time to restore power services in Catbalogan, Samar; Southern
Leyte; the province of Leyte; Calbayog City in Samar; Tacloban City and Palo in
Leyte; and parts of Surigao del Norte.
The government is also working closely with the
telecommunications companies to ensure minimal disruption of services, he said
noting that in times of calamities, it is important for the people to have
means of communication to assure the safety of their families.
As to the concerns for weak telecommunication
signals by some telecom providers, Coloma said the Palace will ask the National
Telecommunications Commission to look into the problem.
Typhoon Yolanda continues to hit several
provinces in the Visayas region. Coloma said the fifth landfall was in
Concepcion, Iloilo; the fourth was in Bantayan Island, Cebu; the third in
Daanbantayan, Cebu; the second in Dulag-Tolosa, Leyte; and the first in Guiuan,
Eastern Samar.
He said the government will continue to provide
the public updates on the typhoon until it exits the country. PND (as)
Aquino wants continuous search, rescue efforts
in areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda
President Benigno S. Aquino III has directed all
government agencies to conduct extensive search and rescue operations to ensure
that everyone along the path of Typhoon Yolanda, which hit the country Friday,
is accounted for.
In a statement on Friday, Presidential
Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the
President instructed agencies to pay special attention to areas that may have
been isolated from town centers in the aftermath of the typhoon.
At the same time, Coloma advised everyone to
remain vigilant until the exit of the storm from the Philippine Area of Responsibility,
which according to PAGASA will be on Saturday morning, November 9.
Also, Coloma commended the people along the
typhoon path for heeding the call of the government to evacuate and take the
necessary precautions as the typhoon approached.
“We commend our countrymen for heeding the call
of the government to take the necessary safety precautions and for following by
the evacuation measures that have been put in place by local government
officials especially those residing in danger zones and high-risk areas,” he
said.
Coloma said that based on the latest update from
the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) there is
still a low number of reported casualties from the onslaught of Typhoon
Yolanda.
Only three casualties have been reported, two
were electrocuted in separate areas in San Jacinto, Masbate and Surigao del
Sur, Coloma said, adding the last fatality was struck by lightning in Zamboanga
City.
The NDRRMC also reported seven people were
injured because of the typhoon, he said.
Typhoon Yolanda hit several provinces in the
Visayas region including Iloilo, Cebu, Leyte and Eastern Samar. The typhoon is
expected to affect Mindoro province around 7 p.m. Friday.
He said in a press briefing earlier that the
government will continue to provide the public updates on the typhoon until it
exits the country. PND (as)
