Aquino government assures that preventive
measures are in place for likely effect of typhoon Yolanda
The Aquino government assured the public that
preventive measures are already in place to avoid human casualties and minimize
property damage as super typhoon "Yolanda" is expected to enter the
country, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio B.
Coloma Jr. said on Wedneday.
"Habang hinihintay ang pagpasok ng super
typhoon ‘Yolanda’ sa Philippine Area of Responsibility na tinatayang magaganap
Huwebes, ika-pito ng Nobyembre, alas-dos ng umaga, inatasan ng Pangulo si
Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, tagapangulo ng National Disaster Risk Reduction
Management Council (NDRRMC), na pakilusin na ang lahat ng provincial and
municipal disaster risk reduction and management councils para makapaghanda ang
mga mamamayan at maka-iwas sa panganib," Coloma said during the regular
press briefing in Malacanang.
The government is also appealing to print and
broadcast media to help in the information dissemination to prepare the public
for the storm. 'Ito ay alinsunod sa direktiba ng Pangulo na matamo ang layuning
zero casualty sa ganitong kalamidad," Coloma said.
According to the weather forecasts, typhoon
Haiyan, locally named as Yolanda, is to make landfall over the Philippines on
Thursday, that can cause flood and mudslides.
"Pansinin natin ang takbo ng bagyong
‘Yolanda.’ "Kung matutuloy ito sa kasalukuyan niyang direksyon ay maaaring
tamaan ng buong pwersa nito ang buong kapuluan. Ang ‘di lang maaapektuhan ay
ang dulong hilaga at dulong timog ng ating bansa," he added.
Rescue boats and emergency relief and medical
supplies have been prepositioned in strategic areas, Coloma said.
He said all concerned government agencies are on
heightened alert to ensure swift response to affected residents, especially
those in low-lying and flood prone areas. PND (js)
Philippine government forms teams to assist
Filipinos in Saudi Arabia
Malacanang reported that there has been no
Filipino arrested in the ongoing crackdown on illegal workers in Saudi Arabia
and the government has formed teams that will assist Filipinos who will be
detained.
In a press briefing in Malacanang on Wednesday,
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma
Jr. said that based on the report of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the
government has started repatriating Filipinos from Saudi Arabia.
As of November 6, a total of 4,587 Filipinos
have been repatriated, while 1,433 are awaiting immigration clearance, and 450
others are housed in temporary shelters where they are being provided with
food, medicine, and other basic necessities, he said.
There are approximately 660,000 Filipinos in
Saudi Arabia, according to official estimates of the Saudi Interior Ministry.
Coloma also said Foreign Affairs Secretary
Albert del Rosario has authorized the hiring of Saudi lawyers to provide
necessary legal assistance to any Filipino who would be arrested.
The DFA and the Consulate General, as well as
Philippine overseas labor officers, have also formed teams that will visit
jails, police stations, and deportation centers to help Filipino workers that
may be affected by the “Saudization” policy.
“A team led by Undersecretaries Jesus Yabes of
DFA and Parisya Taradji of DSWD are in Saudi Arabia to meet with concerned
Saudi authorities and to check the condition of undocumented Filipinos,” Coloma
stressed.
“Diplomatic representations are being made to
ensure continued Saudi government assistance in repatriation efforts and
protection of the rights of undocumented Filipinos,” he added.
“Saudization” is a national policy of Saudi
Arabia encouraging employment of Saudi nationals in the private sector, which
was largely dominated by Asian, European and American expatriate workers.
The Saudi government has enacted policies to
promote “Saudization,” including warnings to companies that will fail to comply
with regulations will not get government contracts. PND (as)
Philippines, HK working quietly to resolve row
over hostage tragedy
The Philippines and Hong Kong are working
quietly to reach a "mutually satisfying" resolution to the
three-year-old row stemming from the Manila hostage tragedy.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said Wednesday both sides are seeking to
address the issues raised in the wake of the incident.
"Both sides are working quietly to address
these concerns and reach a mutual satisfactory conclusion," Coloma said at
a media briefing in Malacañang.
He also said that if there may be sanctions Hong
Kong may impose on Filipinos, the Philippine government is ready to assist
those who would be affected.
Coloma said the silent efforts by both sides
stemmed from the meeting between President Benigno Aquino III and Hong Kong
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit
in Indonesia.
During their meeting, President Aquino and Chief
Executive Leung agreed the Philippines and Hong Kong will "work to reach a
mutually satisfactory closure," he said.
Coloma said the issues raised by Hong Kong officials
included compensation for affected families, prosecution of those responsible,
and adoption of preventive measures.
The crisis stemmed from an incident in Manila on
August 23, 2010, where a dismissed policeman took a busload of tourists hostage
to demand his reinstatement in the police force.
But the policeman and several of his hostages -
including tourists from Hong Kong - were killed in a botched rescue attempt.
Following the incident, Hong Kong has imposed a
black travel warning that discourages its residents from visiting the
Philippines. PND (jl)
Philippines joins other nations in the 2013 Bali
Democracy Forum
The Philippines is participating in the Bali
Democracy Forum (BDF), an annual intergovernmental forum on the development of
democracy in the Asia Pacific region, Malacanang said on Wednesday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said in a press briefing that the
country’s representative will be Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
The forum, with a theme “Consolidating Democracy
in Pluralistic Society,” will be held November 7 and 8.
“For the past three years, the country has been
an active participant in the Summit. In 2011, our representative was Vice
President Jejomar Binay; in 2012, Secretary Florencio Abad; at sa taon pong
ito, ang ating bansa ay kinakatawan ni Secretary Edwin Lacierda,” Coloma said.
The Bali Democracy Forum, initiated by Indonesia
in 2008, aims to promote and foster regional and international cooperation in
the field of peace and democracy through dialogue-based sharing experiences and
best practices that adhere to the principle of equality, mutual respect and
understanding, with the participating countries sharing its ownership.
The annual event also becomes the venue for
other influential and prominent figures. Among the participants in the BDF are
countries that regard themselves as democratic or aspire to be more democratic
in the Asia-Pacific region.
Observer countries from the African, European
and American region also attend the Bali Democracy Forum. PND (as)
Philippines may discuss ways to work together
with Dutch non-government organization using virtual Filipina child to fight
human trafficking
The Philippines may seek ways to pool its
anti-human trafficking efforts with a Dutch non-government organization that
used a computer generated image of a 10-year-old Filipina in a campaign against
fight webcam child sex tourism.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said the Philippines may call the NGO's
attention if there are differences in the way they implement their anti-human
trafficking efforts.
"If there is a commonality of objective at
medyo nagkaroon ng diperensiya doon sa pamamaraan, then we can call their
attention and discuss how we can work together in a better manner (If there is
a commonality of objective but there are differences in the way we implement
them, we can call their attention and discuss how to work together in a better
manner)," Coloma said at a media briefing.
He said the Philippine government has been
undertaking efforts to stop human trafficking.
Coloma said the government has an inter-agency
body combating human trafficking.
The Dutch NGO had used the virtual Filipina to
identify over 1,000 adults "willing to pay children in developing
countries to perform sexual acts in front of the webcam."
It said the virtual Filipina child had helped
researchers identify such adults from more than 65 countries.
According to the NGO, video footage of the child
predators had been handed over to the police authorities.
Earlier this year, the Philippines was cited by
the US State Department for its efforts to combat human trafficking.
While the Philippines retained its Tier 2
ranking in the US' 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report, the US noted the
Philippines is "making significant efforts to bring themselves into
compliance" with standards against human trafficking. PND (jl)
