President Aquino cites country’s neurologists
for their dedication to the pursuit of exellence
President Benigno S. Aquino III cited the
country's neurologists for their dedication to the pursuit of excellence in the
delivery of neurological care to secure public health and improve quality of
life of the Filipino citizens.
"The brain remains one of the greatest
frontiers in medicine; for too long, it has been a mystery, and we are only now
beginning to unravel it with the help of the latest advances in science and
technology," the Chief Executive said in his message to the Philippine
Neurological Association (PNA) on the occasion of 35th Annual Convention.
The PNA opened on Wednesday its convention,
which has for its theme "Issues and Controversies in Neurology,” at the
Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City. The 4-day event would
end on Saturday.
"Your government looks forward to the
wealth of knowledge that will come out of this gathering, especially for their
possible applications in securing public health and improving the overall
quality of life of our citizens," the President said.
The President hopes that the holding of the
convention will allow the country's neurologists to improve their medical
practice and advance neurology in the country.
"As our nation continues its journey along
the straight and righteous path, we bear witness to how our reforms are moving
our nation closer towards the bright future that we envision for the Filipino
people," he said.
"We hope you will lend your expertise in
furtherance of our national agenda; may you continue to pursue your profession
with utmost commitment and passion, and contribute to the ongoing
revitalization of our country," the President said. PND (js)
Preparations reduced typhoon Yolanda’s death
toll, President Aquino says
Preemptive evacuation prior to the onslaught of
typhoon “Yolanda” drastically reduced the number of casualties in the affected
communities except for parts of Leyte and Samar, President Benigno S. Aquino
III said in an interview with CNN Tuesday.
The President told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour
that the Philippines is used to typhoons being hit by at least 20 storms every
year. He said however that 2013 is exceptionally a bad year for the country.
“We have been able to demonstrate as a
government and as a people, collectively, that we take care of each other and
the government’s immediate response, I think, has been reassuring to the vast
majority of our people,” the President said.
But the foundation of the nation’s efforts to
deal with disasters relies on the local government units, which he said was
overwhelmed by the severity of typhoon Yolanda’s fury.
“The catastrophic death toll estimate was pegged
at 10,000 in the worst-hit areas in Tacloban alone, is too much,” he said,
adding that local officials, suffering from emotional trauma may have made
wrong assessments of the actual death figure.
“They were too close to the incident. They
didn’t have basis for it,” he added.
The present government figure is 2,000 but the
President admitted that it might get higher as personnel on the ground account
for everyone.
He said the government hopes to be able to
contact 29 municipalities in order for the authorities to establish the numbers
especially for the missing.
“But so far, 2,000 to about 2,500 is the figure
we are working on as far as deaths are concerned,” the President said. PND (as)
Aquino government steps up efforts to rebuild
the lives of Yolanda typhoon victims
The Aquino government is stepping up its efforts
to rebuild the lives of the typhoon victims following the devastation wrought
by super typhoon “Yolanda” (internationally known as Haiyan) in the central
Philippines, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio
“Sonny” Coloma Jr. said.
"On this fifth day since the onslaught of
super typhoon Yolanda, the government is conducting intensified operations to
address the urgent needs of our people in the calamity areas," Coloma said
during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on Wednesday.
The government is ensuring the immediate
delivery of food, water, medicines, and medical assistance to disaster victims,
Coloma said.
Coloma said the government is now stepping up
its efforts to immediately provide temporary shelters for displaced residents.
He said the administration is also prioritizing
the restoration of power and communication, and land, sea, and air
transportation services.
The government is also beefing up efforts for
the restoration to normalcy of essential government services in hardest-hit
calamity areas where government employees and their families were also
displaced.
Coloma acknowledged the fact that government’s
initial efforts were hampered by the massive scale of destruction brought about
by what is now being regarded as “the strongest cyclone in recorded history.”
"Communication and power lines were
cut-off. Tacloban Airport was destroyed. Access to seaports in calamity areas
was also made difficult by the debris left by the storm surge. Roads and
bridges were also destroyed. Power and communication services have been
restored in many areas," he said.
"C-130 planes are now doing sunrise to
sunset operations. The Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard have
deployed all available naval assets and are tapping civilian auxiliary units to
provide additional assistance," Coloma stressed.
To facilitate delivery of aid, Coloma said the
Natural Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has established a
one-stop shop, which will integrate the flow of assistance to the calamity
areas from government and private organizations.
Coloma appealed to the public to remain calm
during this most difficult times.
"Beinte-kuwatro oras po ang operasyon ng
pambansang network ng PTV-4, Telebisyon ng Bayan, at Radyo ng Bayan 738khz para
tanggapin ang mga panawagan ng mga mamamayan sa hindi pa ma-contact na mga
kamag-anak at upang tumugon sa mga mahahalagang pangangailangan," he said.
"Maaari rin pong gamitin ang mga Facebook,
Twitter, at iba pang social media accounts ng PTV-4, Gov@Work, at Philippine
Information Agency (PIA). Nagtayo na rin ang pamahalaan ng mga assistance desk
sa NDRRMC sa Camp Aguinaldo at sa lugar mismo ng kalamidad sa Tacloban at
Ormoc, Leyte; Borongan, Eastern Samar; at Catarman, Northern Samar. Ito ay
pinapangasiwaan ng NDRRMC sa pakikipag-tulungan ng PIA at Philippine National
Red Cross," he said.
"May mga roving teams ang Philippine
Information Agency at Red Cross sa mga lugar na ito upang mangalap ng
impormasyon mula sa mga nakaligtas tulad ng pangalan at larawan ng mga
hinahanap upang maihatid sa kani-kanilang mga kamag-anak sa labas ng
lugar," Coloma .
As of the last update from NDRRMC, Coloma said
the total number of casualties has reached 1,833, while 2,623 have been
reported injured. Cost of damage is estimated at P761.4-million. PND (js)
Aquino eyes ecological engineering to minimize
impact of climate change
The country is adopting ecological
re-engineering to minimize the effects of climate change, President Benigno S.
Aquino III said on Tuesday.
The President told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in
an interview that it is an accepted reality for the Filipino community that
global climate change is indeed happening and it need not be debated.
The Chief Executive said ecological
re-engineering is one of the best scientific methods available for vulnerable
countries to cope with the climate change. It is an emerging study of
integrating ecology and engineering, concerned with the design, monitoring, and
construction of ecosystems.
“For instance, climate change has changed the
season in the Philippines,” he said, noting that seasons that are supposed to
be dry experience rains and vice versa.
Before, the country never had typhoons in
December, but today, strong storms hit the country at the tail end of the year,
he said.
Climate change wreaks havoc on agriculture
affecting the farmers’ planting season and many couldn’t adjust to these
changes, he added.
As the Philippines grapples to rebuild in the
aftermath of typhoon Yolanda, the President told CNN that his administration
will have to plan its communities to make them more resilient to all the
ravages of nature in the future.
"There will be ecological reengineering
like planting mangroves as a defense against tsunamis, and investments in the
sciences, particularly the way the country’s weather bureau gather and analyze
data," he said.
One of the major components is the ongoing
geohazard mapping being done by the government to make communities safe.
The President also acknowledged that the real
challenge after the relief efforts is rebuilding the houses of tens of
thousands of families affected by the typhoon.
The construction of these new houses has to be
better to withstand the ravages of nature, he said.
The government will also later map areas prone
to storm surges to protect the people, the President said
That I think is the next phase of the studies
that we have to do to make our country more resilient to all of these natural
disasters,” he noted. PND (as/js)
Aquino government working hard with
international humanitarian partners to bring emergency assistance to Yolanda
typhoon victims
The Aquino government is working hard with its
international humanitarian partners to bring emergency assistance to the
typhoon victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda (internationally known as Haiyan),
particularly in Tacloban, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said on
Wednesday.
President Benigno S. Aquino III directed
concerned government agencies to come out with a mechanism that coordinates
humanitarian action with the international community to speed up relief and
rehabilitation efforts for the disaster victims, Almendras said during the
regular press briefing in Malacanang
Almendras said the Chief Executive convened on
Tuesday some of his Cabinet members to discuss the logistic and relief
operation for the communities devastated by the super-typhoon.
"This will come out to be one of the
largest logistic and relief operation that the Philippine government has ever
done in history and the President wanted to make sure that we have aligned
everything," Almendras said
"We need to coordinate how we are going to
work with the international community. The past two or three days, quite a
number of head of states have been calling the President, have talked to him,
offering the aid that they want to do and asking how and in what best way they
can help," the Cabinet Secretary said.
The President wants to ensure that the
assistance from the international community will be used to rebuild the lives
of disaster victims.
"What we have agreed on is for all
international aid coordination must be coursed through Department of Foreig
Affairs. The process will require that once DFA gets the information, DFA will
have to determine kung ano po ‘yung klase ng tulong na ibibigay nila. For
example, the German government sent us a team, which is a self-contained team
that can do search, rescue, health, and medical services. As we speak, that
team is now landing in Guiuan in Samar," he said.
"Ang napagkasunduan, the minute the DFA
gets the information they will transmit to the appropriate agency. If it has to
do with medical aid—either hospitals, medicines, or whatever related to
medical—it will be simultaneously referred to both the Department of Health and
to Natural Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council —being the central
point," Almendras said.
"So if it were a donation of goods,
simultaneously, the DFA will coordinate directly with the DSWD to determine
kung ano itong mga contents na ipinamimigay nila at saan dapat dadalhin, and
also with NDRRMC," he said. PND (js)
President Aquino thanks international community
and fellow Filipinos for donations and swift response in the aftermath of
Yolanda
President Benigno S. Aquino III thanked the
international community and the Filipino people here and abroad for their
donations and swift response in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda
(internationally known as Haiyan).
"In the aftermath of supertyphoon Haiyan
(Yolanda) there are many reasons to grieve. Over the past few days, however,
the Filipino people have seen many reasons to be grateful as well. Filipinos at
home and abroad have, once more, come together to render aid and assistance to
hard-hit areas," the Chief Executive said in his message issued on
Wednesday.
Several international donors have already
pledged assistance either in monetary form or in-kind to help the Philippine
government to speed up relief and rehabilitation efforts for the disaster
victims.
"The thought that the community of nations
stands in solidarity with our nation has also greatly eased our burdens. On
behalf of the Filipino people, I thank the governments and peoples of so many
nations-- 28 as of last count-- as well as the donor organizations, who have
pledged or already provided assistance, whether technical, financial, or in
kind, for the relief and rebuilding efforts that we are undertaking in Leyte,
Samar, and other provinces devastated by typhoon Yolanda," he said.
President Aquino also reiterated his gratitude
to every Filipino who has extended help to fellow countrymen in their time of
need.
"The companies who have offered their
services for free or at a great discount, the groups and institutions who have
mobilized their members for relief drives, individuals who have volunteered
time, knowledge, and resources: You have my deepest thanks." he said.
"The well of strength and compassion that
characterizes us as a nation has time and again proven to be bottomless.
Solidarity born of faith and prayer, combined with a steadfast resolve, is
showing the world that nothing can make the Filipino spirit yield. The Almighty
has granted us the resilience to withstand such tragedies, secure in our belief
that God will continue to guide us as we provide care for our countrymen,
rebuild our nation, and prepare for the future," the President said. PND
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