President Aquino declares January 18 as special
non-working day in the City of Santa Rosa, Laguna in celebration of its 222nd
Foundation
President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared
January 18, which falls on a Saturday, as a special (non-working) day in the
city of Santa Rosa, Laguna in celebration of the the 222nd its Foundation Day.
The Chief Executive issued the declaration
through Proclamation No. 701 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
on January 7 to give the people of Santa Rosa the full opportunity to celebrate
and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies.
Santa Rosas historical past can be traced to
1571 when Spanish Conquistador Juan de Salcedo while exploring the Laguna Lake
region, discovered the town of Biñan which was annexed as a barrio to Tabuco
(now the town of Cabuyao).
In 1688, Biñan, together with Barrio Bukol (now
Santa Rosa) was separated from Cabuyao.
Barrio Bukol became an independent municipality
on January 18, 1792. The town was named after Saint Rosa of Lima, Peru. PND
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President Aquino creates committee to speed up
completion of the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 Project
President Benigno S. Aquino III created the
Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 Project Coordinating Committee to accelerate the
completion of the project to decongest Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) and
the major roads in Metro Manila.
The Chief Executive formed the committee by
virtue of Memorandum Order No. 66 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N.
Ochoa Jr. on January 6.
Under the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016,
the government aims to accelerate the provision of safe, efficient, reliable,
cost-effective, and sustainable infrastructure.
"One of the major thematic areas in
transport set as the primary focus of both public and private investment is the
decongestion of Metro Manila," the President said
The Skyway Stage 3 Project is projected to
decongest Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and major roads in Metro Manila.
President Aquino emphasized the need to create a
Coordinating Committee to ensure the fastest possible completion of the
construction of the Project, and coordinate the various government agencies,
local government units and private entities concerned.
The President said a representative from the
Office of the Executive Secretary will chair the committee.
Representatives from the Department of
Transportation and Communications – Toll Regulatory Board, Department of Public
Works and Highways, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department
of Energy, Office of the Solicitor General, National Power Corporation,
National Transmission Corporation, Metropolitan Manila Sewerage System,
National Telecommunications Commission, National Housing Authority, Housing and
Urban Development Coordinating Council, Presidential Commission for the Urban
Poor, Commission on Human Rights and Metro Manila Development Authority as
members of the committee.
The Chairperson may call upon any department,
bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the government, including
Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations, local government units,
non-government organizations and the private sector for assistance as the
circumstances and exigencies may require.
The committee shall act as the coordinating body
between the various government agencies, local government units and private
sector to facilitate the completion of the construction of the project. It
shall identify bottlenecks and measures to address them.
It shall identify specific ways, and perform
every act necessary and expedient to facilitate the completion of the
construction of the project within the accelerated schedule.
The committee shall establish a Secretariat to
service its technical and administrative requirements which shall be composed
of personnel detailed to the Committee from member agencies with the Committee
Chairperson determining the number desired and duration of their assignment.
It shall perform such other functions and
activities as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Order, or as
the President may direct.
The Committee shall cease to exist upon the
completion of the construction of the project.
The member-agencies of the Committee are
authorized to charge against their current appropriations such amounts as may
be necessary for the implementation of this Order.
Additional funds and possible fund sources as
may be necessary for the implementation of this Order shall be identified and
provided for by the Department of Budget and Management subject to the approval
of the President.
The Committee shall submit a report to the
Office of the President (OP) on the status of the implementation of the Project
within 30 days from the date of effectivity of this Order, and every quarter
thereafter.
This Order shall take effect immediately. PND
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No increase in compensation to Government Owned
or Controlled Corporations officers and employees
The Governance Commission for Government Owned
or Controlled Corporations (GCG) has not approved any increase in compensation,
bonuses, allowances and other benefits for government owned or controlled
corporations (GOCCs) directors, officers and rank-and-file employees, GCG
Chairman Cesar L. Villanueva said.
Villanueva issued the statement during the
regular press briefing in Malacanang on Friday following reports that the
Commission on Audit (COA) has ordered officials and employees of 31 GOCCs to
reimburse the government in the amount of some P2.3 billion equivalent to the sum
of alleged excessive bonuses and allowances paid to them in 2012.
The COA's findings showed GOCCs paid
"bonus(es), allowances, and benefits to the board of directors and
employees without or in excess of legal basis or proper authority."
"Apart from putting into effect the
Performance-Based Bonus or PBB for officers and employees, which was directed
by the President Benigno S. Aquino III himself under Executive Order 80 in
2012; and the grant of Performance-Based Incentives or PBI for Appointive Directors
pursuant to the President’s EO 24 issued in 2011 and he emphasized this: “GCG
has not granted nor authorized much less has it recommended to the President
any increase in the rates of compensation, bonuses, allowances and other
benefits within the GOCC sector,” Villanueva said.
"In fact, it (GCG) has consistently denied
various applications made for such increase in rates including those that
resulted from collective bargaining process. Such position of the GCG is, in
fact, in line with the moratorium dictated by the President under Executive
Order 7," Villanueva stressed.
Villanueva said the GCG had actually reviewed
the COA reports released in September, 2013. The GCG has subsequently directed
the GOCCs mentioned by the COA to submit a concrete response within 24 hours.
"Therefore, the bulk of the COA-reported
unauthorized allowances, bonuses and benefits amounting to P2.313 billion
granted to 30 GOCCs relate to practices or existing rates that were carried
over from the previous administration, and were therefore inherited by the GOCC
Governing Boards appointed by the current administration," Villanueva
said.
"When the GCG was constituted in October
2011, the work that it had to undertake in this area was to sort out the legal
issues involved as the claim of employees for non- diminution of benefits
granted was an issue that had to be resolved," Villanueva said. PND (js)
President Aquino monitoring flood situation in
Mindanao, says official
President Benigno S. Aquino III instructed
government agencies to ensure that communities affected by the floods in the
Agusan region get the assistance they need, a Palace official said on Friday.
“Primarily, his directive was to ensure that
they get the proper help,” Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said
in a press briefing in Malacanang Friday.
Valte said the President issued the instruction
even at the time that the low pressure area in the region has not yet been
upgraded into a typhoon.
Forecasters said the LPA turned into Tropical
Depression Agaton Friday.
“Noong LPA palang, nagbibigay na si Pangulong ng
directives sa NDRRMC to work very closely with the local DRRMCs, to make sure
that the proper technical assistance is rendered when it is requested,” Valte
said.
It was reported that many people have fled from
the rising floodwaters along the banks of the Agusan River on Mindanao in the
past 24 hours.
The evacuees temporarily sought shelter in
schools and government buildings in the Agusan region, reports said.
Weather forecasters had earlier reported that
the LPA will become a full-pledged tropical storm and is expected to cause the
heavier-than-usual rains over Mindanao.
The bad weather has already disrupted local
aviation and shipping schedules, with several dozen domestic flights cancelled
over the past week with ferries and a cargo vessel reported to have run aground
in Cebu and Bohol this week. PND (as)
Palace: Fighting Metro crimes need public
cooperation
Malacanang asked the public to help law
enforcers maintain peace and order in Metro Manila in the midst of the rising
number of victims falling prey to motorcycle-riding criminals.
The National Capital Region Police Office has
instructed all its police units to conduct round-the-clock checkpoints to deter
would-be criminals using motorbikes.
“Tulungan ninyo kami sa pagbabantay, siguraduhin
po natin na magtutuluy-tuloy iyong kanilang (police) mga paggalaw,” Deputy
presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a press briefing in Malacanang
on Friday.
And as a result of the recent crimes that
happened in Quezon City, some police commanders were relieved from their posts
because of their inability to address the problem, she said.
This is also a way of sending a message that the
government is serious in addressing criminality in Metro Manila, Valte added.
NCRPO has ordered all district directors to form
three teams for every city police office to man checkpoints in their areas of
responsibility to intensify the anti-criminality campaign round-the-clock.
Policemen will tighten inspection on motorists boarding motorcycles.
Most crimes happening in Metro Manila recently
and in the provinces were perpetrated by motorcycle-riding armed men, which the
government said alarming. PND (as)
