Country's improved ranking in Heritage
Foundations' 2014 index of Economic Freedom strengthens the government's
resolve to continue reforms
The Heritage Foundation’s 2014 Index of Economic
Freedom ranking the Philippines as the 89th freest in the world strengthens the
Aquino administration’s resolve to continue implementing reforms, a Palace
official said.
"The Heritage Foundation’s recently released
2014 Index of Economic Freedom is yet another affirmation of the gains that our
country is reaping along the straight path," Presidential Spokesperson
Edwin Lacierda said in a statement on Tuesday.
Continuing its upward trend in the Index, Lacierda
said the Philippines has jumped eight more notches, from 97th in 2013, to 89th
this 2014.
"This jump reflects the significant
improvements that our country has made in seven of the ten economic freedoms,
including significant gains in investment freedom, business freedom, monetary
freedom, and the control of government spending," Lacierda said.
The Heritage Foundation also cited the “high
degree of resilience of the economy” as well as the legislative reforms that
have been laid down “to enhance the investment environment and incentivize
broader-based private-sector job growth.”
The said factors were also cited in the 2013
report, displaying the government’s consistency in its reform agenda.
The Index of Economic Freedom rates 186
countries in 10 categories of economic performance which include rule of law,
regulatory efficiency, limited government, and open markets. The Index promotes
individual empowerment, free and open competition, government transparency, and
equal opportunity for all.
"It is worth noting that the data used in
the 2014 Index were based mostly on 2012 statistics. We believe that there have
been significant improvements since then despite the challenges we had to
overcome as one nation," the Presidential spokesperson said.
"The positive results of this evaluation
only strengthen our administration’s resolve to continue implementing reforms
founded on good governance and true public service, which are necessary
prerequisites to fostering lasting and inclusive growth in the Philippines,"
he concluded. PND (js)
Aquino leads groundbreaking rites of First Gen
power generation facility in Batangas City
BATANGAS CITY: President Benigno S. Aquino III
led the groundbreaking Tuesday of First Gen Corp.’s San Gabriel Power Plant
Project saying the project will ensure sufficient supply of power in the
country as well as attract more investors.
The $600-million project has three phases and
the first unit to be built by First Gen will be producing 414 mega-watts to
supply the Luzon grid.
“This plant also bodes well for our country’s
continued growth. Our economy hinges on having adequate power. After all, it is
growing at a rapid pace—and we want to sustain this. Businesses are continually
seeing the Philippines as an ideal investment destination,” the President said
in his message during the groundbreaking rites.
“And we must continue doing our utmost to be able
to tell investors: If you decide to set up shop in the Philippines, an adequate
energy supply for your factories and facilities will be as low as possible on
your list of things to worry about.”
By 2016, he said the government expects the
Luzon grid to experience more energy demand rising to 11,000 megawatts from
today’s 10,294 megawatts.
From this year to 2016, the government sees
various companies to build new plants in Luzon, redounding to a total of 2,412
megawatts in generation capacity, he said.
The 414 megawatts to be produced by San
Gabriel’s Phase 2 will augment that generation capacity, he added.
The goal of the government is not simply to meet
demand, but to surpass it, the President said.
“We intend to have a safe surplus of generating
capacity. The effect of Typhoon Yolanda on our generation capacity in the
Visayas should serve as a lesson. Yolanda most prominently impaired major
geothermal power plants in Leyte,” he said.
The combined generation capacity of the plants
went from 482 megawatts to zero, he said resulting to a power deficit in the
region.
Lack of power hampered recovery efforts,
affected the communication systems and government basic services as well as the
productivity of the people, he noted.
The situation also calls on the government to
reassess the country’s energy sources and their effects on the environment, the
President said adding that in the coming years the country will focus on
producing more efficient forms of energy especially with the use of natural
gas.
“Natural gas plants emit only half as much
carbon compared to coal-powered power plants. This means cleaner energy; it
means that despite our status as a less-industrialized nation, we are doing our
part to not exacerbate the risks posed by climate change,” President Aquino
said.
The government expects that from now to 2030,
the share of the use of natural gas in the total primary energy supply will go
from 8 percent to 14 percent, a major step in fulfilling the country’s
obligation of limiting the risk of climate change.
The new energy project will ensure enough supply
of power in the country and thus attract business, he said. In turn this will
result to more jobs to be created that eventually strengthens the people’s
purchasing power.
“Having adequate energy infrastructure makes it
easier for businesses here to stay and expand—and for new businesses to decide
to invest heavily in the Philippines,” he said.
First Gen has 15 power plants that are
contracted for sale under long-term power purchase agreements or other energy
sales agreements.
First Gen already has the 1,000 megawatt Sta
Rita gas-fired power plant and the 500-MW San Lorenzo plant in Batangas. In
addition to the first unit launched on Tuesday, First Gen will be building two more
power generation units to be completed few years from now. PND(as)
President Aquino: Government serious in
reforming Bureau of Customs
BATANGAS CITY: President Benigno S. Aquino III
said that the government continues to address the concerns in the Bureau of
Customs by appointing competent officials and shuffling personnel in different
offices.
The Federation of Philippine Industries reported
that from 2002 to 2011 P1.3 trillion was lost to smuggling.
“We are addressing it,” President Aquino said in
an interview during the groundbreaking rites of First Gen’s new power facility
here. “Yung movement of people in Customs, we moved them… those that we feel
are not contributing to the effort were moved to the Department of Finance,
their mother unit.”
Corruption and abuse were tolerated for the
longest time in the Bureau of Customs, with people joining the bureau assigning
themselves to ports or units they wanted, he said.
“How do you have efficiency there or how do you
have accountability? One of the simple things that the bureau did was to tell
everybody they had applied for this position existing in a particular port,
they have been ordered to go back to their legitimate assignments,” he said.
Part of the reform is the designation of key
officials in the bureau such as the appointment of John Philip Sevilla as
Customs chief and General Jessie Dellosa as head of intelligence, he said.
The President said they also convinced those who
do not want to work in the Bureau of Customs that they will not lose their
seniority from other government agencies if they served in the bureau.
For several administrations, the government just
carried out stop-gap measures and not an overhaul of the system at the bureau
which is why corruption had remained, he said.
The President also said that he got reports that
luxury car importers now paid appropriate taxes, resulting to higher revenues
for the government.
“I understand it is really having an effect.
Certain people who used to take short cuts, napansin ko rin na medyo conforming
at wala na talagang leeway to not conform,” the President said.
“Of course, it’s not perfect. They have been
there just a few months, but we do expect results, that’s why we put in these
particular people,” he added. PND (as)
Government committed to carrying out long-term
anti-poverty interventions, says President Aquino
(BATANGAS CITY) The government focuses on
long-term interventions to address poverty in the country particularly through
the conditional cash-transfer program (CCT), President Benigno S. Aquino III
said on Tuesday.
In an interview following the groundbreaking
rites of First Gen’s new power facility here, the President was asked about the
recent survey showing an increase in Filipino families saying they were poor.
“Pero palagay ko dapat nating pagtuunan ng
pansin lahat ng mga intervention natin ditto ay hindi naman ‘yung panandaliang
kalutasan, kundi pang-matagalan,” he said during the interview.
“Ano ba ‘yung pang-matagalan? Syempre, ‘yung
CCT. Tulungan natin ang bawat pamilya na makapagpatapos ng kanilang mga anak,
dati grade school, this year mag-uumpisa ‘yung pati high school,” he said.
Helping the youth graduate from high school is a
long-term anti-poverty intervention, the President said.
Citing a study made by the Philippine Institute
for Development Studies (PIDS), the President said young people graduating from
high school would get jobs that eventually raises the family income.
“Dadagdag ng 40 percent, hindi makukuha ng
survey ngayon ‘yan. Pero ‘yun ang, palagay naming ay pang-matagalan. Dadagdag
nang dadagdag ‘yung kakayahan ng bawat Pilipino para makasama doon sa pag-angat
ng ating ekonomiya para lalo talagang maging inclusive. Bigyan mo ng skills
para maka-participate sa growth ng ating ekonomiya,” he added.
The President also said that the survey may have
focused on asking respondents in the Visayas and Mindanao regions devastated by
recent calamities, thus negatively affecting their views on their conditions.
PND (as)
Pulse Asia survey says 3 out 4 Filipinos
continue to support and trust President Aquino, Coloma says
Three out of four Filipinos continue to support
and trust President Benigno S. Aquino III, as indicated in the latest Pulse
Asia survey, President Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio
“Sonny” Coloma Jr. said on Tuesday.
Coloma said the Chief Executive continues to
enjoy high approval rating at 73% in the Pulse Asia survey which was conducted
between December 8 to 15, 2013, with a sample of 1,200 individuals.
On the other hand, in the Social Weather
Stations (SWS) for the fourth quarter of 2013, the President's rating remained
high at 69%, the Communications Secretary said.
In the SWS survey for December 2013, 69%
expressed satisfaction with the President's performance.
"Considering the major challenges that were
faced and hurdled by the administration during the period October to December
2013, we believe that the outcome of both the Pulse Asia and the SWS surveys
are essentially positive and favorable for the President and the
administration," Coloma said.
The President received significantly higher
ratings from respondents belonging to class E in both survey.
The President received significantly higher
ratings from respondents in the rural areas. In the Pulse Asia survey, the
approval rating among rural respondents was 79 % as compared to 67% in the
urban areas.
In the SWS survey, the satisfaction rating among
rural respondents was 75% as compared to 65% in urban areas.
Among the major issues at the time of the Pulse
Asia survey were the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda and the rehabilitation
efforts in its aftermath, the designation of former senator Panfilo Lacson as
the rehabilitation czar, the resignation of Bureau of Customs Commissioner
Ruffy Biazon, the investigation on fake SAROs, the word war between Manny
Pacquiao and BIR Commissioner Kim Henares, and the Meralco rate hike. PND
(as/js)
