Palace: No time to lose on safe alternatives to
fireworks
Saying there is no more time to lose, Malacañang
on Thursday called on private and public stakeholders to meet soonest and agree
on safe alternatives to fireworks, which had injured more than 800 people
during the recent holiday revelry.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
head Herminio Coloma Jr. said all parties concerned should iron out their
differences on the various approaches to the problem, which range from
community fireworks to making safer fireworks.
"We can ill afford to wait for another New
Year’s Day celebration marred by similar injuries or deaths. Hence, we call on
all stakeholders to reach a common stand on safer alternatives for celebrating
New Year’s Day through local ordinances or enactment or amendment of existing
national laws," Coloma said at a media briefing.
Coloma said fireworks have posed a threat to
safety and health, as the gunpowder inside them can cause tetanus.
Worse, he said such fireworks harm the
environment because of their emissions.
"Kaya nga po ang panawagan natin ay para
magkaroon ng consensus at paglahok ang lahat ng mga sektor ng ating lipunan.
Kailangan po magkaroon ng ugnayan at konsultasyon para naman po marinig lahat
ng iba’t ibang panukala at maiwasan ang mga sinabi ninyong unintended or
deleterious consequences na dapat din pong huwag payagang maganap (This is why
our call is for consensus and the participation of all sectors in society. We
must have coordination and consultations so all sides will be heard and there
will be no unintended or deleterious consequences)," he said.
On the other hand, Coloma said all concerned
sectors should discuss an effective deterrent to using fireworks, considering
many Filipinos want to greet the New Year with noise.
Meanwhile, Coloma said the Philippine National
Police continues to implement the regulation of firearms, with President
Benigno Aquino III himself stressing the need for it.
"Tanggap natin ang panukala na kailangan
higpitan ng pamahalaan ang pag-regulate sa paggamit ng mga armas (We agree
there is a need to be stricter in regulating the use of firearms)," he
added. PND (jl)
Palace: President Aquino signs P14.6-B
supplemental budget for calamity survivors
President Benigno Aquino III has signed the
P14.6-billion supplemental budget for 2014 to fund relief, rehabilitation and
reconstruction efforts in areas affected last year by super Typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan) and a magnitude-7.2 quake.
In a media briefing, Presidential Communications
Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. said the President signed the budget
last Dec. 26.
"On Dec. 26, it was signed. ... Pinirmahan
na ang joint resolution ng both houses of Congress for the supplemental
allocation of P14.6 billion (It was signed Dec. 26. This was the joint resolution
by both houses of Congress for the allocation of P14.6 billion)," Coloma
said.
Yolanda, which tore through Visayas and Southern
Luzon last November, left more than 6,100 dead.
The supplemental budget will also help survivors
of other devastating cyclones. It will fund the P40.9-billion rehabilitation
plan President Aquino had approved.
Coloma said the rehabilitation plan had gone
through several revisions and "various stages of refinement." PND
(jl)
Aquino government elated over United Nations's
action adopting Philippine-sponsored resolution on violence against women
migrant workers
The Aquino government expressed elation over the
action of the United Nations General Assembly adopting the Philippine-sponsored
resolution on violence against women migrant workers, Presidential
Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said on
Thursday.
Coloma said during the regular press briefing in
Malacanang the UN Assembly adopted by consensus the Philippine-sponsored
Resolution No. 68/137 on Violence Against Women Migrant Workers last December
18.
"It urges all governments to consider
permitting migrant women workers who are victims of violence to apply for
residency permits independently of abusive employers or spouses, in accordance
with national laws, and to eliminate abusive sponsorship systems," the
Communications Secretary said.
Coloma said the Philippine initiative was
prompted by the need to extend protection to thousands of Filipina migrant
workers.
According to Coloma, the resolution calls on all
countries to grant women migrant workers in domestic service access to
gender-sensitive transparent mechanisms for bringing complaints against
employers including termination of their contract, in case of labor and
economic exploitation, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse and violence. PND
(js)
Palace: Phl dip in business ranking a learning
point, continuing challenge
Malacañang said Thursday it will consider as a
learning point and a continuing challenge the Philippines' drop in ranking in
the Forbes’ Best Countries for Business for 2013.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
head Herminio Coloma Jr. said there is room for improvement for the Philippines
to fare much better on the list.
"We acknowledge there would be room for
improvement in all those aspects ... Para sa atin, tinuturing natin na isang
continuing challenge para mas mapahusay ang ating mga business processes (We
acknowledge there is room for improvement in all those aspects. We view as a
continuing challenge the need to improve our business processes)," Coloma
said.
The Philippines had ranked 90th out of 145
countries in the Forbes’ Best Countries for Business List for 2013, slightly
lower than in 2012. This was three notches below the country’s rank last year.
On the other hand, Coloma said the Philippines
will not be content at being 90th or 87th, but will seek to move as close as
possible to the top of the list.
In the meantime, he said the Philippines will
consider its dip in the ranking a "learning point and an opportunity for
introducing further improvements."
But he said this would require the efforts not
only of the government but also of the private sector. PND (jl)
Government agencies speed up burial of remains
of 1,400 Yolanda fatalities
Concerned government agencies are working
closely with the Tacloban City government to speed up the burial of some 1,400
fatalities of super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), Malacañang said Thursday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Departments of Health and Public Works
and Highways sent added equipment while the National Bureau of Investigation
redeployed its forensic team on the ground.
Quoting a report from Presidential Assistant for
Rehabilitation and Recovery Panfilo Lacson, he said the DOH has sent 1,500 body
bags and protective kits for personnel handling the remains while the DPWH sent
additional backhoes and payloaders.
"Ginagawa na po ito sa pamamagitan ng
puspusang pagtutulungan ng DOH, NBI, DPWH at kanilang pakikipag-ugnayan sa
Tacloban City government (The DOH, NBI and DPWH are coordinating with the
Tacloban City government in this regard)," he said.
Coloma also said the agencies are considering
other suggestions to speed up the burial, including modifying the procedure
used by the NBI to identify the remains.
He said some sectors had pointed out that the
NBI adheres to the procedures used by the International Police Organization
(Interpol), which are rather thorough but would take more time.
"Sa obserbasyon naman po ng ibang mga
ahensiya, at ito ay na-convey na rin sa NBI na baka naman pwedeng ma-modify ang
procedure on the fact that iyong Interpol procedures are procedures being used
to gather evidence in criminal cases, kaya siyempre mas detalyado ito. Ang mga
victims of the calamity, hindi naman similarly situated as victims of crimes,
kaya I think iyon ang isang punto na tinalakay nila (Some agencies had conveyed
to the NBI a suggestion to modify the procedures since Interpol procedures are
used to gather evidence in criminal cases and are thus more thorough but
time-consuming. Victims of the calamity are not similarly situated as victims
of crimes, so I think that is a point that may be discussed)," Coloma
said.
He said discussions are ongoing to have the NBI
comply with Interpol procedures but at a faster pace. PND (jl)
Government remains committed to talking peace
with leftist rebels, says Palace
The government is not closing its door to
restarting a peace dialogue with leftist insurgents believing that despite the
hurdles, peace could still be achieved, a Palace official said on Thursday.
In a press briefing in Malacanang,
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said that the President’s peace
adviser had issued a statement last week that the government will continue to
seek ways to reach a peace pact with the communist group.
The government and Communist Party of the
Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) have not
agreed on many issues to move the peace process forward.
One of the issues is the release of communist
advisers from government detention centers as a precondition for the start of
the peace discussions.
“Hindi po nawawalan ng pag-asa o ng
determinasyon ang ating pamahalaan na malampasan kung ano man ‘yung mga hamon
na nagsisilbing balakid dahil isa pa rin po ‘yan sa mga timetable ng ating
pamahalaan,” Coloma told reporters.
“Sinisikap po nating maisulong ang kapayapaan
hindi lamang doon sa Mindanao kundi sa iba’t iba pang mga larangan at kasama na
diyan ‘yung pakikipag-ugnayan o pakikipag-negosasyon sa CPP-NPA-NDF para po
maresolba ang matagal nang usapin hinggil diyan.”
With regards to the threat issued by the CPP to
intensify its campaign against government security facilities, Coloma said the
military and the police are ready to defend the people and maintain peace.
“Siyempre po tutugunan ‘yan ng ating mga
security forces and law enforcement authorities sapagkat tungkulin po ng
Sandatahang Lakas na ipagtanggol ang ating mga mamamayan at panatilihin ang
kaligtasan ng ating mga komunidad,” he said. PND (as)
Palace reiterates respect for Ombudsman,
judiciary's independence on PDAF cases
Malacañang on Thursday reiterated it will
respect the independence of the Ombudsman and the judiciary in handling the
cases against personalities linked to the alleged misuse of the Priority
Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said that while the Palace shares the people's
wish for the cases to be resolved the soonest, it does not intend to impose any
deadline on the resolution of the cases.
"Hindi naman po tayo pwedeng mag-impose ng
deadline o timetable. Ginagalang po natin ang independence ng Ombudsman at
iyong separation of powers po ng Executive from the Judiciary kaya nagpapahayag
lang po tayo ng pakikiisa sa pag-asa ng mga mamamayan na gagalaw itong proseso
ng pagkakaroon ng katarungan hinggil doon sa umano'y maling paggamit ng public
funds (We cannot impose a deadline or timetable for the resolution of the
cases. We respect the independence of the Ombudsman and the separation of
powers between the executive and judiciary. But we merely share the hopes of
Filipinos that the cases involving the alleged misuse of PDAF will move
quickly)," Coloma said at a media briefing.
For now, he said the complaints lodged by the
government against some personalities are still being evaluated by the Office
of the Ombudsman.
He noted President Benigno Aquino III's New Year
message where he said justice in the PDAF case is close at hand referred to the
legal progress of the case from investigation to the filing of complaints
before the Ombudsman.
Also, he stressed there is no pressure from the
Palace on the Ombudsman and the judiciary on the matter.
"Wala pong hinahangad na ganyan kaya nga po
doon sa ating pahayag ay ine-emphasize iyong paggalang sa independence ng
Tanggapan ng Ombudsman na nilikha ng Konstitusyon para maging independienteng
taga-usig ng mga usapin hinggil sa mga government officials (There is no such
pressure on the Ombudsman. That is why we are emphasizing our respect for the
Ombudsman's independence)," he said. PND (jl)
