PCOO Secretary Herminio "Sonny"
Coloma, Jr. on Malacañang’s Statement on The Death of Former South African
President Nelson Mandela
Nakikidalamhati po tayo sa bansa at sa mga
mamamayan ng South Africa sa pagpanaw ni Nelson Mandela, isang ginagalang na
lider ng daigdig, na pinangunahan ang kaniyang bansa sa kalayaan sa pamamagitan
ng pagtahak sa daan ng kapayapaan.
Sa loob ng dalawampu’t pitong taon, siya ay
napiit sa bilangguan at nagpakita siya ng matibay na paninindigan upang ipakita
ang kahalagahan ng pagtahak sa daan ng kapayapaan bilang solusyon sa problema
ng apartheid sa kaniyang bansa. Pinakita niya na ito ang paraan kung paano
magiging ganap ang pagtupad sa aspirasyon ng kaniyang bansa para sa ganap ng
paglaya at pagkakamit ng kalayaan.
Sa kaniyang kamatayan, katulad na rin noong
siya’y nabubuhay pa ay palaging magbibigay ng inspirasyon sa lahat ng mga tao
sa buong mundo na nagmamahal sa diwa ng kalayaan.
Iyan po ang ating pahayag ng pakikiramay sa
bansang South Africa dahil po sa pagpanaw ni President Nelson Mandela.
Myanmar President Thein Sein visits
typhoon-stricken Bantayan Island in Cebu
President Thein Sein of the Republic of the
Union of Myanmar on Friday flew to Cebu to visit typhoon-stricken Bantayan
Island.
The Myanmar President, who is here in the
country for a three-day state visit, left the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport (NAIA) Terminal II around 8:30 a.m. Upon arrival at the Mactan
International Airport, he and his party were welcomed by Cebu provincial
officials.
The visiting head of state immediately proceeded
to Bantayan Island which was devastated by super typhoon "Yolanda"
last November. He conducted an aerial inspection of the typhoon-stricken island
for almost 30 minutes.
President Thein Sein and his party landed at the
Sta. Fe Airport in Bantayan Island where he had a meeting with the local
officials.
The Myanmar President is set to return to Mactan
International Airport in the afternoon for his departure for Myanmar.
Upon the invitation of President Benigno S.
Aquino III, the Myanmar President arrived on Wednesday for the state visit.
The two leaders held bilateral talks and
witnessed the signing of several agreements such as cooperation on trade and
investments, food security and agriculture, Agreement on renewable energy,
information cooperation in the fields of news exchange, radio, and television
broadcasting, film industries, public relations, and printing and publishing
and an agreement on visa exemption of ordinary passport holders in ceremonies
in the Malacanang Palace on Thursday.
The Representatives from the chambers of
commerce and industries of both countries also signed an agreement to expand
business opportunities and trade relations.
After the signing of the agreements, the
Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement of Myanmar and the
Department of Social Welfare and Development exchanged notes on the turnover of
Myanmar’s donation for the victims of the Central Visayas earthquake and
typhoon Yolanda.
Myanmar on Thursday donated $150,000 for victims
of "Yolanda" and the strong earthquake on the occasion of President
Thein Sein's state visit to the Philippines.
The donation included $100,000 for victims of
super typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan) that devastated parts of Visayas and
Southern Luzon in November, and $50,000 for victims of a magnitude 7.2 quake
that hit Central Visayas last October.
Myanmar President Thein Sein said Myanmar
sympathizes with the Philippines, having experienced the effects of a big
cyclone in 2008.
The President also tendered a state luncheon in
honor of the visiting head of state following the bilateral talks and signing
of agreements.
The state visit is President Thein Sein’s first
visit to the Philippines since his assumption to office in 2011. The last time
a head of state from Myanmar visited the Philippines was in 2005 when Prime
Minister Soe Win visited Manila.
President Aquino and President Thein Sein had
their first bilateral meeting in Nay Pyi Taw on June 07, 2013, when the Chief
Executive attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia hosted by
Myanmar. It will be the Philippines turn to host the said forum in 2015.
The Philippines and Myanmar established
diplomatic relations in 1956 and will celebrate the 60th anniversary of their
relations in 2016. PND (js)
Myanmar President Sein renews rice development
tie up with IRRI
(LOS BANOS, Laguna) Myanmar President Thein Sein
renewed his country’s partnership with the International Rice Research
Institute as Myanmar launches an agricultural revolution to ensure food
security and become a major producer of rice in the Asian region.
President Thein visit IRRI Thursday afternoon,
together with his Cabinet ministers, to discuss a stronger Myanmar-IRRI rice
research partnership.
Myanmar aims to improve rice production through
the Myanmar Rice Sector Development Strategy with the help of IRRI.
President Thein’s visit to the rice research
institute came as Myanmar maps out its rice sector strategy aimed at becoming a
major rice exporter in the global market.
The country has about eight million hectares of
land planted to rice and produced about 30 million tons of rice in 2011.
IRRI and Myanmar started their collaboration in
the mid-1970s to develop new rice varieties, improve rice farm management,
develop small-scale farm machinery and build rice expertise.
Currently, there are 69 IRRI-bred rice varieties
released to Myanmar and 336 scientists and extension staff have undergone
training at the institute.
In 2011, IRRI expanded its activities by
introducing stress-tolerant high-yielding varieties and worked with farmers to
develop best management practices in the delta and central dry zone.
In September this year, officials from Myanmar
and senior representatives from IRRI and donor organizations came together to
craft Myanmar’s rice development strategy and determine the research and
development needed for the initiative.
President Thein also visited the International
Rice Genebank, where more than 3,000 rice varieties from Myanmar are stored.
These rice varieties are being conserved among a collection of more than
118,000 rice types. PND (as)
President Thein: Myanmar may allow Philippine
companies to invest in its rice production sector
(LOS BANOS, Laguna) Myanmar President Thein Sein
said he and President Benigno S. Aquino III discussed stronger food security
tie ups including allowing Philippine companies to invest in Myanmar’s rice
production sector.
During his visit to the International Rice
Research Institute Thursday, President Thein said he discussed with the
President the possibility of opening up his country to Filipino companies to
engage in rice production in Myanmar and then export their produce to the
Philippines.
Allowing Philippine companies to go to Myanmar
and produce rice there and export it to the Philippines may ease the country’s
rice deficit, President Sein said.
The Philippines, having a population of nearly
100 million, is an importer of rice to feed its growing population. The
country’s main suppliers are Thailand and Vietnam.
President Thein visited IRRI Thursday to renew
his country’s collaboration in rice research and development.
He said his administration launched an
agricultural revolution in Myanmar, aimed at changing the people’s mindset not
just on relying on subsistence agriculture but to create surpluses for the
Myanmar people.
Myanmar has started exporting its rice surplus
as part of its food security initiative, the President Thein said, adding that
he wants to send more trainees to IRRI to develop their expertise and improved
Myanmar’s rice sector.
President Thein arrived in the Philippines
Wednesday for a three-day state visit.
Also on Thursday, Myanmar and the Philippines
signed a memorandum of understanding to ensure greater cooperation in food
security for both countries. PND (as)
Relief assistance, donations, other aid not just
concentrated in Tacloban, UN assures
(TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte) As far as the United
Nations is concerned, the relief assistance, donations, and other forms of aid
that they bring, with the help of their donors from the international
community, are being distributed equally across the other provinces affected by
“Yolanda” (Haiyan) in Visayas and not just concentrated in Tacloban and its
nearby towns.
Jesper Lund, head of the UN Office of the
Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Leyte and Samar, made this
assurance Friday amid the reported complaints raised by some victims in other
provinces that relief assistance has not reached them until now.
Besides their command post in Tacloban, which is
widely known as the area hardest-hit by ‘Yolanda’, Lund said they established
offices in Guiuan (Eastern Samar), Roxas City (Capiz), Cebu, and Ormoc to make
sure that relief efforts are properly coordinated.
“In all places, we are doing assessment and
evaluation of the needs, and we’re monitoring the implementation of the relief
activities. If we see significant gaps in one area…we inform the organization
to shift their geographical responsibility,” Lund explained in an interview.
Lund said there will always be areas where
access can be more difficult, but they have been pushing their organizations
hard to reach them, especially the other towns further south.
“It takes a little bit of time and we have to
be… We should not be patient but we should be impatient in the right way,” he
said.
Lund, meanwhile, said UN’s assistance to the
Philippine government in its rehabilitation plans will be around but he cannot
be specific as to how far this help would go.
“The Filipino government is starting a
reconstruction and rehabilitation plan, and they are seeking funding for that
from the international community, and we are doing a relief humanitarian
assistance plan and we’re also seeking for funding,” Lund said.
“It’s a one year program. I cannot guarantee
because it depends on what the funding is. But, so far, it is 40 percent funded
and that’s not uncharacteristic because it’s for a full year. So the funding
will come in and I’m pretty sure that we’ll be able to meet the needs of the
affected people here,” he added.
According to the Foreign Aid Transparency Hub
(FAiTH), UN-OCHA has so far given P1,093,925,000 worth of assistance to the
Philippines. This is on top of the other forms of aid being extended by other
countries and international financial institutions to the government to help
the Yolanda victims. PND (hdc)
Palace mourns Nelson Mandela's passing
Malacañang on Friday joined the world in
mourning the passing of former South African President and anti-apartheid
revolutionary Nelson Mandela.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
head Herminio Coloma Jr. described Mandela as a revered world leader who led
his nation and people to freedom via peaceful means.
"We grieve over the death of Nelson
Mandela, a revered world leader, who led his nation and people to freedom by
treading the path of peace. He endured decades of imprisonment with unwavering
fortitude and perseverance, affirming that taking the peaceful, non-violent
path to freedom is one that brings about sustained and enduring fulfillment of a
people’s aspirations for full emancipation," Coloma said in a statement.
"In death as in life, he will always be a
shining beacon of inspiration to all freedom-loving peoples," he added.
Mandela fought apartheid and served 27 years in
prison for his cause.
Following his presidency, he continued to serve
as an elder statesman.
Coloma said that in March 1997, then President
Mandela visited the Philippines and praised the restoration of democracy in the
country.
Mandela also paid tribute to the late President
Corazon Aquino, incumbent President Benigno Aquino III's mother, for leading
the struggle against authoritarianism.
During his visit, President Mandela was also
conferred an honorary doctorate degree by the University of the Philippines.
The Philippines and South Africa established
diplomatic relations in November 1993 and the Philippines opened an embassy in
Pretoria, South Africa in June 1994 shortly after President Mandela’s
inauguration. PND (jl)
Situation in Tacloban improved tremendously,
says UN-OCHA
(TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte) Almost one month since
super typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) battered Visayas, the situation of the people
in this community has improved tremendously, according to an official from the
United Nations Office of the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA).
Jesper Lund, head of UN-OCHA’s units in Leyte
and Samar, said the healthcare system in the area is fully functional and
people are now getting access to safe drinking water, while food distribution
to the families who need it continues.
“From the devastation you saw on the first phase
where injured people were looking for places to go and get treatment, but they
couldn’t go around because the roads were full of debris and people were
gathered in community centers, now, vast majority of people have returned to
houses—of what is left of their houses and they have started rebuilding,” Lund
described in an interview.
Lund, however, acknowledged that a lot of work
still has to be done, given the scale of the devastation caused by Yolanda,
especially in terms of infrastructure, livelihood, and decent shelter for
people who are still reeling from the effects of the calamity.
“The challenge is, of course, to continue the
improvements with the same speed because people have expectations. They want
jobs. They want what we call livelihood. They want to be able to go back and
work in their farms, go back to work in their schools…and there we need to
continue that support to bring them that livelihood back,” Lund said.
The support that the government is providing to
the victims must not stop, so the gaps in areas where people don’t get access
to donations and other forms of assistance will be minimized, if not, totally
addressed, he added.
“I think the most important areas now are
shelter so people get roofs over their heads in the rainy season, livelihood.
Leyte is an agricultural land so we need to get the seeds distributed (for the
farmers),” Lund mentioned.
“We need to have the rubble removed so we can
start reconstruction, rehabilitation in the city, because if you don’t get some
basic installation like the slaughter house, the market, and some banks in
operation in Tacloban, we would not get this livelihood and this opportunity
for the people, and then we would not have this continuous development that
we’re looking for,” he said.
Clearing operations continue in the Tacloban
airport, on the road, all the way to the Leyte Sports Academy that serves as
the command post and media center for various organizations that are still
gathering to coordinate and monitor the ongoing relief and rehabilitation
efforts in aid of the typhoon victims.
The bayanihan spirit of the Filipinos also is
still very much alive as people can be seen across the streets helping some
authorities clear up the rubble even while under the heat of the sun. By and
large, the residents of Tacloban are working hard to bring their lives back to
normal. PND (hdc)
Palace condemns Yemen suicide attacks that
killed 7 Filipinos
Malacanang condemned a suicide bombing at a defense
ministry complex in Yemen that killed seven Filipinos and injured 11 others.
“We condemn the senseless violence that killed
seven Filipinos and inflicted injury to several of our citizens working in
Yemen,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement on
Friday.
“Our officials are working with the local
authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of our countrymen. We are
urging the Yemeni government to bring the perpetrators to the bar of justice,”
Citing a report from the Philippine ambassador
to Saudi Arabia, Ezzedin Tago and the honorary consul to Yemen, Muhammad Al
Jamal, Coloma said seven Filipino hospital workers were killed and 11 others
were injured although not in serious condition.
The suicide bombings occurred in the Ministry of
Defense complex Thursday. The consul is continuously gathering additional
information and coordinating with hospital and government authorities, Coloma
said citing the report.
The injured and survivors were taken to a safe
location but the names of those affected weren’t released until further
notification of their families.
The situation is now under control by Yemeni
Security Forces, he said.
Reports said militants stormed the Defense
Ministry at the Yemen’s capital Thursday, killing 52 people, including at least
seven foreigners.
At least 167 people were wounded, nine
seriously, in the bombing and fierce firefight. The latest attack underscored
the ability of insurgents to take advantage of Yemen’s instability and tenuous
security.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility
for the violence, but observers say such attacks are the hallmarks of al-Qaeda.
PND (as)
President Aquino pledges to Myanmar Head of
State Thein Sein to enforce six agreements between two countries
President Benigno S. Aquino III pledged to
Republic of the Union of Myanmar President Thein Sein the Philippine
government’s firm commitment to successfully enforce all six agreements between
the two countries, Presidential Communications Operations Office said on
Friday.
The Communications Secretary said in the regular
press briefing in Malacanang Palace that the two leaders witnessed the signing
of several agreements such as cooperation on trade and investments; food
security and agriculture; renewable energy; information cooperation in the
fields of news exchange, radio, and television broadcasting, film industries,
public relations, and printing and publishing; and an agreement on visa
exemption of ordinary passport holders in ceremonies in the Malacanang Palace
on Thursday.
The Representatives from the chambers of
commerce and industries of both countries also signed an agreement to expand
business opportunities and trade relations.
"On trade and investments, he (President)
said that the Philippines is prepared to sign a finalized taxation agreement
with Myanmar," Coloma said.
"On education, the Department of Foreign
Affairs invites Myanmar to send candidates to the Foreign Service Institute
Officer Cadetship Course for 2014. He also said that the Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority will share its expertise in skills
training," Coloma said.
"On tourism, he (President Aquino) said the
Philippines will update the existing air services agreement between the two
countries," he stressed.
According to Coloma, the Chief Executive
commended Myanmar’s human rights initiatives.
"He said that our country and government
will share important lessons learned on the Conditional Cash Transfer Program
in connection with Myanmar’s social protection program," Coloma said.
"On defense, the President will designate
soon a resident defense attaché in Myanmar as this post is presently covered by
a Bangkok-based attaché," he said.
Upon the invitation of the President Aquino,
President Thein Sein arrived in Manila on Wednesday for a three-day state
visit. He is scheduled to return to Myanmar on Friday. PND (js)
Palace: Attack on Marawi police station may be
desperate bid to disrupt peace process
The attack by armed men on a police station in
Marawi City early Friday may be a desperate ploy by some groups to disrupt the
government’s peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Malacañang
said Friday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
said the administration deplores such attacks and will go after the
perpetrators.
“We view these attempts to disrupt the peace
process as acts of desperation and we are determined to stop these acts,” he
said at a media briefing.
Friday’s attack involved armed men reportedly
seizing the police chief of Marawi City and killing a civilian.
The attack also came shortly after peace
negotiators from the government and the MILF resumed peace talks.
Coloma said this was not the first time some
groups that are “apparently opposed to the peace process” had engaged in
“disruptive actions.”
“Ang ating sandatahang lakas handang gawin ang
nararapat ... para tigilan sila at di natin sila papayagang magtagumpay (Our
armed forces are ready to do what is needed to stop them and will not allow
them to prevail),” he said. PND (jl)
Palace: People expect elected lawmakers to
debate on development agenda
Filipinos expect elected lawmakers to debate on
actions that will address key issues in the government’s development agenda,
Malacañang said Friday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
head Herminio Coloma Jr. also said the administration would rather that
Congress devote quality time for priority legislation.
“What we can probably say is people would expect
from elected lawmakers actions that will address the key issues that are in the
forefront of our development agenda,” Coloma said in a media briefing.
He added debates should address how appropriate
laws may be enacted so national policy can be implemented toward the
improvement of the lives of the people.
Meanwhile, Coloma said the government’s law
enforcement agencies and prosecutorial arm will enforce the law if some
individuals have run afoul of it.
“Our government law enforcement agencies and our
government prosecutorial arm in the Department of Justice has a continuing
mandate to enforce and implement the law. If there is any finding that certain
individuals or groups have run afoul of the law they are expected to do their
job,” he said when asked if the government will probe accusations recently
raised against some lawmakers. PND (jl)
Palace: Bill seeking lifetime tax exemption for
Pacquiao may be unjustified
A proposed law seeking to grant a lifetime
income tax exemption to Filipino boxing hero and Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel “Manny”
Pacquiao may be unjustified, Malacañang said Friday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
head Herminio Coloma Jr. said it is the basic obligation of every Filipino to
pay taxes properly.
“Tungkulin ng bawa't mamamayan magbayad ng
tamang buwis. Paying taxes is one of the basic obligations of Filipinos,”
Coloma said at a media briefing.
He added Filipinos are assessed taxes according
to their capacity to pay.
Similarly, he said exemptions from paying will
also depend on several factors, based on the citizen’s capacity to pay taxes.
But he stressed the bottom line is that citizens
should support the government by paying the proper taxes at the proper time.
“Mahalagang tungkulin ng mamamayan suportahan
ang pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng pagbayad ng tamang buwis sa tamang oras (It is
important that citizens support the government by paying the right taxes at the
right time),” he said. PND (jl)
President Aquino joins world leaders in mourning
death of Nelson Mandela
President Benigno S. Aquino III joined the world
leaders in mourning the death of former South Africa President Nelson Mandela
saying he was an exemplar of conscientious resistance to racism and exponent of
reconciliation founded on justice.
"On behalf of the entire Filipino people, I
extend our deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Mandela, the people of
South Africa, and all men and women of peace and goodwill who mourn the passing
of a truly great man," the Chief Executive said in a statement issued on
Friday.
Mandela, the former political prisoner who
became the first president of a post-apartheid South Africa, died on Thursday
(US time), at the age of 95.
"For today, as Nelson Mandela united his
people in the spirit of compassion and inclusiveness, so too does he unite the
rest of the world—not only in grief and mourning, but also in respect and
admiration for a life lived with strength, courage, humility, and
dignity," President Aquino said.
"His memory will serve as a durable guide
to humanity as we seek to bequeath to future generations a world better than we
found it," he stressed.
Mandela fought apartheid and served 27 years in
prison for his cause.
"The life he lived makes us cognizant of
those who have suffered persecution, yet refused to allow it to plunge their
lives into bitterness or vengeance. Whether in the isolation of his prison
cell, or in subsequently renouncing violence and making possible the abolition
of Apartheid and the creation of a truly pluralistic South Africa, Nelson Mandela
sought to unite his people on the basis of humane aspirations for a just
society," President Aquino said.
The President also paid tribute to the former
president who was considered as the father of modern South Africa and the ideal
head of state.
Mandela battled health issues in recent months,
including a recurring lung infection that led to numerous hospitalizations.
"He achieved closure through justice,
banishing recrimination and hate. Above all, he acted out of the desire to
uplift his fellow men and women by empowering the aggrieved to rise above
hardship—guiding his nation through the crucible of suffering to forge ordinary
men and women into peacemakers, freedom fighters, and even statesmen. By
transcending the wounds of the past, he helped establish a prosperous,
inclusive present.
"His unflagging optimism that the world
could be a place where prejudice gives way to harmony will therefore continue
to serve as a beacon of hope for all humanity," he said.
In March 1997, then President Mandela visited
the Philippines and praised the restoration of democracy in the country.
Mandela also paid tribute to the late President
Corazon Aquino, incumbent President Benigno Aquino III's mother, for leading
the struggle against authoritarianism.
"On a more personal note, I recall with
gratitude and humility the kind words he told me during his visit to the
Philippines when I was still a Representative. He told me then, “You chose your
parents well,” he said.
"My mother admired him; like all of us, she
would have been deeply saddened by his passing. I also understand what the
global outpouring of support and sympathy might mean to his family and all
South Africans, especially after a long-drawn illness such as the one that he
went through. We must now all take comfort from the fact that a great man is
now at peace, with the Filipino people and all humanity heirs to his example
and vision," he concluded. PND (js)
Military aircraft carrying social workers
figures in accident off Lapaz, Leyte
(TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte) A Philippine Air Force
(PAF) Huey helicopter carrying aid workers from the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) figured in an accident Friday following a failed
emergency landing off Lapaz town, a military official said.
Captain Amado Gutierrez, spokesperson of the
Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said the incident occurred at
around3:45 in the afternoon at Barangay Bagacay West, Lapaz which is about 60
kilometers away from Tacloban City.
Gutierrez said the aircraft most likely came
from Tacloban en route to Lapaz when it encountered an engine problem while
trying to make an emergency landing in the area.
He, however, said no one among the two
passengers and six crew members of the Bell UH-1H was killed in the incident.
Initial reports show that the DSWD staffs, identified as Noemi Mongaya and
Danny Franco, were supposed to check on the relief goods in the area.
“Fortunately okay naman ang pasahero, meron lang
mga wounded na sundalo,” Gutierrez told reporters here. He declined to give
additional details as to the exact mission of the group as the report is still
being clarified.
Gutierrez said Mayor Lesmes C. Lumen of Lapaz,
who is also a doctor by profession, was the first to respond to the group
before they were brought to Burawen Hospital where they are currently being
treated.
The DSWD, meanwhile, clarified that Secretary
Corazon Soliman was not among the passengers in the plane contrary to reports
that reached Manila. PND (hdc)
