President Aquino to lead National Day of Prayer
on Jan, 20
President Benigno S. Aquino III will lead the
country in commemorating a National Day of Prayer that will be held on January
20 in Malacanang, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary
Herminio “Sonny” Coloma, Jr. said on Sunday.
In a radio interview aired over government run
radio station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Coloma said the National Day of Prayer and
Solidarity will bring together government and religious leaders and members of
civil society to a day of prayer for the Filipino people’s recognition of the
guidance of divine providence towards a more progressive future.
“On Monday, January 20, President Aquino will
lead the nation in prayer in a simple program to be held in Malacañang. The
National Day of Prayer and Solidarity with the theme ‘One Nation in Prayer’ is
going to be held in accordance with the Filipino people’s recognition of the
guidance of Divine Providence in our forward movement towards a more
progressive future,” Coloma said.
Coloma added that this was behind the Filipino
people’s resilience when facing challenges---their deep belief in Divine
Providence. The Communications Secretary said it was the gist of the
President’s message in the New Year Vin D’Honneur that was held last Friday
where he said: “Some of you have marveled at the resilience of our nation, a
people whose faith, though challenged, remained constant and only deepened. Our
unbreakable spirit and ability to recover find root in our firm belief in a benevolent
God who has the perfect plan for all of us. These tragedies tell us that,
despite all our efforts, we are indeed powerless without God.”
“Ito ay bunga ng matibay na pananampalataya ng
mga Pilipino na pinalalalim at lalo pang nagiging matatag sa harap ng mga
pagsubok. Hindi natitinag ang ating determinasyon at kakayahang bumangon at
magbagong-tatag dahil nauugat ito sa ating paniniwala sa kabutihan at
kapangyarihan ng Diyos,” Coloma said. PND (rck)
Palace: Foreign tourists' arrivals show
quake-hit Bohol's swift recovery
The arrival this year in Bohol of foreign
tourists is a sign of the continuing recovery of the province from last October's
devastating magnitude-7.2 quake, Malacañang said Sunday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said the people should welcome this
development as it shows the strength of Bohol's residents.
"Dapat ikalugod ng bansa ang mabilis na
pagbangon at pagbabagong-tatag ng lalawigang Bohol mula sa malakas na lindol na
gumimbal dito noong nakaraang Oktubre (The nation welcomes the swift recovery
of Bohol from last October's quake)," Coloma said on state-run dzRB Radyo
ng Bayan.
Last Oct. 15, a magnitude-7.2 quake devastated
Central Visayas, heavily damaging many of Bohol's churches that are considered
heritage sites.
Coloma cited information from Governor Edgar
Chatto showing foreign vacationers recently arrived in Bohol aboard the MS
Europa II from Hong Kong.
"Ayon kay Gobernador Chatto, ilang cruise
ship pa ang nakatakdang bumisita sa lalawigan bilang bahagi ng patuloy na
pagsigla ng turismo doon. Kaya tinatanghal po natin ang mabilis na pagbangon at
pagbabagong-tatag ng mga komunidad na nasalanta noong mga nakaraang kalamidad
(Chatto said more cruise ships bearing foreign tourists are coming, and this is
a sign of the continuing recovery of tourism in the province. We hail the swift
recovery of the communities affected by the quake)," he said.
Meanwhile, Coloma said the Palace lauds the
bayanihan spirit in a village in Dulag town in Leyte, where residents are
rebuilding in the wake of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
He said the efforts led by Dr. Marie Ann Corsino
have helped 79 families rebuild their homes, along with similar rehabilitation
work, had earned Filipinos the respect of the United Nations Development
Programme.
Coloma said UNDP senior recovery coordinator
Yuri Afanasiev had marveled at the speed of the recovery efforts.
"Ayon kay Ginoong Afanasiev, sa ibang bansa
ay umaabot hanggang apat na buwan bago makapag-umpisa sa early recovery o
rehabilitasyon. ‘Yan daw ang naging karanasan sa Banda Aceh, Indonesia
pagkatapos ng tsunami na nagdulot ng kalamidad hanggang sa bansang Thailand at
Sri Lanka noong 2004. Ngunit batay sa obserbasyon sa mga lalawigan ng Leyte at
Samar, nagsimula na ang rehabilitasyon sa mga lugar na ito bago pa umabot sa
ikalawang buwan mula nang naganap ang bagyo (Afanasiev said other countries
needed four months before they can start the early recovery phase. But in the
Philippines, this started after barely one month following the incident),"
Coloma said. PND (jl)
Palace: Concrete measures, not emergency powers
in dealing with power rate hike's impact
Concrete measures to minimize the impact of
power rate hikes - and not emergency powers - are the priority for the
government in addressing concerns surrounding power costs, Malacañang said
Sunday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said President Benigno Aquino III’s
orders were still on finding concrete solutions to minimize the effects of the
price hikes on people.
“Hindi pa po tinatalakay ng Pangulo ang bagay na
yan sa mga miyembro ng Gabinete. Sa kasalukuyan, ang kautusan ng Pangulo ay
hinggil sa patuloy na pag-aaral at paghahanap ng mga kongkretong paraan kung
paano maiibsan o mababawasan ang pasanin ng mga mamamayan sanhi ng malaking
pagtaas sa halaga ng kuryente noong nakaraang buwan na pansamantalang pinigil
ng Korte Suprema (The President has not discussed emergency powers with his
Cabinet. His orders are still to find concrete solutions to minimize the impact
of power rate hikes on the people, though the Supreme Court had temporarily
stopped such an adjustment),” Coloma said on state-run Radyo ng Bayan.
He said the Department of Energy had already met
with representatives from power producers and power distributor Manila Electric
Co. on the matter.
Coloma said it is important to hold meetings
with such firms as they are engaged in businesses imbued with public interest.
“It is important for the players in the power
industry to act in a manner consistent with the public welfare as their business
is imbued with public interest,” he said.
In the meantime, Coloma said the government will
continue to closely monitor developments on the issue to protect the people’s
interests. PND (jl)
Palace: More safeguards being eyed for
Conditional Cash Transfer program
Malacañang on Sunday assured the public more
safeguards are being built into the government's Conditional Cash Transfer
(CCT) program for poor families.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said this includes adopting a biometric
system for the CCT to make sure the aid goes to intended recipients.
"Tumutungo na rin po tayo doon sa
biometrics para tiyakin po na may integridad yung pagtanggap nila ng mga
benepisyo (We are moving toward biometrics to make sure the aid reaches the
intended beneficiaries)," Coloma said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
"Kaya po pinapahusay pa ang pagpapatupad ng
batas na ito. Dapat po nating maunawaan na sumasakop ito sa mahigit na apat na
milyong pamilya, at ang mga pamilyang ito ay masusing pinag-aralan ang kanilang
katayuan, meron tayong identity system (We continue to fine-tune our
implementation of the law. We must understand this program benefits more than
four million families)," he added.
In the meantime, he said it is up to the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to address issues raised by
the Commission on Audit.
The DSWD had said it has already accounted for
the 7,782 household beneficiaries allegedly missing from the list of beneficiaries
cited in the Commission on Audit 2012 report on Official Development Assistance
Programs and Projects.
"Patuloy naman po ang pagpapatupad nitong
conditional cash transfer program na bahagi ng Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino
Program na isa sa mahalagang programa ng Aquino administration dahil nga po
pangunahing prayoridad ng ating pamahalaan na nasasalamin sa pinamalaking
porsyentong inukol sa ating pambansang budget ang pangangalaga sa kapakanan ng
mga pinaka-nangangailangan (We will continue to implement the CCT, which is
part of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program that seeks to benefit the most
number of families)," Coloma said.
For its part, the DSWD said it has put in place
a replication mechanism of the database where all households encoded are
automatically copied in another file.
DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman added sanctions
will be taken against officials or employees found to be negligent in allowing
the unauthorized inclusion of household-beneficiaries. PND (jl)
Palace reminds public servants: Observe due
process
Malacañang on Sunday reminded public servants to
observe due process in dealing with violators of the law, including rice
smuggling.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Aquino administration follows the
principle of being a government of laws and not of men.
"Kailangan naman po ang lahat ng mga
opisyal ng pamahalaan, sila man ay nasa pambansa o sa lokal na pamahalaan, ay
kilalanin ang mga proseso ng batas dahil tayo po ay government of laws, not of
men (Government officials, whether they are with the national or local
government, should observe the processes of the law because we are a government
of laws and not of men)," Coloma said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
He was referring to reports that Davao City
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte had threatened rice smugglers with death, in a bid to
protect the interests of farmers.
Coloma said the Palace is confident Duterte is
aware of his responsibilities as a public official.
"At paalala lang sa lahat ng mga
lingkod-bayan na tayo po ang dapat na magpairal ng rule of law (For our part,
what we want is for public servants to observe the rule of law)," he said.
PND (jl)
Palace to respect US travel warning
Malacañang on Sunday said it will respect the
latest travel warning of the United States ldiscouraging Americans from going
to parts of Mindanao, including Sulu.
But Presidential Communications Operations
Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said the travel warning applies
only to US nationals and not to Filipinos.
"Yan naman pong travel advisory ay hindi
para sa atin, para yan sa kanilang mga mamamayan, at nasa karapatan din po ng
anumang bansa na mag-issue ng advisory sa kanilang mga mamamayan na sila lang
po ang nakakaunawa kung bakit po nila ginagawa ‘yon at kinikilala din naman
natin na ang kanilang mga advisory ay para sa kapakanan ng kanilang mga mamamayan
(That travel advisory is not for us but for US nationals. It is the right of
every country to issue advisories to their citizens for their protection. We
respect this right of governments to protect their respective citizens),"
Coloma said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
During the weekend, the US State Department
warned US citizens against traveling to some parts of Mindanao, including Sulu.
It cited continuing threats due to
"terrorist and insurgent activities," and asked US citizens to defer
non-essential travel to Sulu.
Coloma said the Philippine government does not
need to comment further on the issue since the advisory is for US citizens.
"Yung kanila pong advisory ay para sa
kanilang mga mamamayan (The US' advisory is for its own nationals)," he
said. PND (jl)
