Palace wishes Phl bet to Winter Olympics good
luck
As it wished good luck to the Philippines' bet
in the ongoing Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Malacañang on Saturday called
on Filipinos to show their support for him as well.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the
Palace is confident Michael Christian Martinez will excel in figure skating
despite the lack of snow in the Philippines.
"We hope the Filipino people are behind
Christian and his quest for gold at the Sochi Olympics," Lacierda said on
state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
Martinez, 17, is representing the Philippines in
the figure skating competition.
Lacierda said the Palace is "very, very
proud" of such athletes, and is confident they can excel when given the
chance.
"Sana pagpalain kayo ng ating Panginoon.
Kayang kaya natin yan (We hope God will be with you. You can do it)," he
said. PND (jl)
Palace: Latest PDAF scam witness to undergo
usual state witness procedure
Ruby Tuason, a potential state witness in the
Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam, will undergo normal
procedures in the case, Malacañang said Saturday.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said there
are requirements Tuason must meet to become a state witness in the case.
"Meron tayong batas at standard na
tinitingnan (We have laws and standards to observe). Kung pumasok sila sa
standard, pwede sila mag-avail of the witness protection program. This does not
apply only to Ruby Tuason. For any criminal offense where a person who participated
in the crime (and) whose participation is not the most guilty, the law allows
them to testify and shed truth to the matter," he said on state-run dzRB
Radyo ng Bayan.
He said that even in the United States, the law
allows whistleblowers to "help facilitate and expedite the revelation and
uncovering of (the) truth" in a judicial proceeding.
But Lacierda stressed there are procedures and
requirements for one to become a state witness.
Tuason returned to the Philippines on Friday and
offered to testify on the PDAF mess.
For now, Lacierda said the Ombudsman is
evaluating Tuason's testimony. PND (jl)
President Aquino attends Elsie Gaches Village
50th anniversary
President Benigno S. Aquino III attended Friday
the 50th anniversary of the Elsie Gaches Village (EGV) in Muntinlupa City
praising the facility for its continuing dedication to serve individuals with
developmental disorders.
“Personal ko pong ipinapaabot ang isang espesyal
na pasasalamat sa bawat indibidwal at grupong naging bahagi na ng mayamang
kasaysayan ng Elsie Gaches Village,” the President said in his message during
the event.
“Sa paglipas ng panahon, dalawang henerasyon na
ng Pilipino ang inaruga at pinagsilbihan ninyo. Wala kayong pinipiling araw o
pagkakataon sa pagseserbisyo. Tunay kayong ehemplo sa kakayahan nating makamit
ang permanenteng pagbabago.”
With several decades of dedicated service to the
country, the President said Elsie Gaches Village is a real role model and a
success story of the country’s quest for long-term reforms.
He said that institutions like Elsie Gaches
Village must receive necessary government support. Starting 2010 to 2013, the
Department of Social Welfare and Development allocated a yearly budget of P21
million for the EGV, he said.
And in 2014, the DSWD increased the allocation
to P26.4 million to widen the scope of EGV’s services, he noted.
Located in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, the Elsie
Gaches Village was founded on February 3, 1964 with funding assistance from the
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Philanthropist couple Samuel Gaches and Elsie
McCloskey donated their 16-hectare summer villa to the government to be used as
asylum for the sick, aged and handicapped. The facility originally started with
three buildings and a handful of patients.
At present, the EGV has 14 cottages providing
24-hour residential care services to 589 male and female patients from all
levels of developmental category.
The facility has social workers, psychologists,
doctors, nurses, teachers, house parents, therapists, dieticians, and
administrative support personnel. Each of them has a defined task and responsibilities
geared towards caring, training, and rehabilitating individuals with
developmental disorders.
The EGV is supported by the Valencia Foundation,
Knights of Columbus, lawyer Rodolfo Robles, the Kiwanis Club, Catholic Women’s
Club, Friends of Elsie Gaches Village Inc. and other local and foreign
organizations.
Joining the President Friday were Social Welfare
Secretary Dinky Soliman, DSWD Regional Director Alicia Bonoan, Muntinlupa City
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi and other stakeholders. PND (as)
Palace announces new appointments
President Benigno S. Aquino III appointed Amable
Aguiluz V as Special Envoy of the President to the Gulf Cooperation Council and
he will serve that post starting February 11, 2014 until February 10, 1015.
Aguiluz is the Chairman and President of AMA
Rural Bank of Mandaluyong Inc. and is the pioneer of IT education in the
Philippines.
Considered as the “Father of Computer
Education,” Aguiluz built the AMA Education System to a P6-billion conglomerate
with 200 schools and 150,000 students.
Aguiluz is a Business Administration graduate
from the University of the Philippines, and received his Doctorate in Business
Administration from Columbia College, Missouri in the US.
He also completed the Top Management Program at
Bali, Indonesia and Business Management Programs at Wharton School of Business,
University of Pennsylvania and the Owners and President Management Program of
the Harvard University.
The President also appointed Andres F. Ibarra as
new member of Board of Trustees of the Local Water Utilities Administration
(LWUA) and Sevillo David Jr. as acting executive director of the National Water
Resources Board.
President Aquino also designated new members of
the board of trustees of the Cultural Center of the Philippines that include
Emily Abrera, Raul Sunico, Maria Cristina Turalba, Carolyn Espiritu, Jaime
Laya, Florangel Rosario-Braid, Arsenio Lizaso, Isabel Caro-Wilson, Zenaida
Tantoco, Nestor Jardin and Danilo Dolor.
The new CCP board of trustees will serve until
June 30, 2014. PND (as)
Palace open to third-party help for
understanding with Hong Kong
Malacañang said Saturday it is open to help from
third parties in getting closer to an understanding with Hong Kong despite
recent sanctions stemming from the hostage tragedy in Manila in 2010.
But presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said
the actions by the third parties should be consistent with the position taken
by the Philippine government and be consistent with national interest.
"Our intention has always been there. (If)
it is a private initiative that will effect better relations with Hong Kong and
(is) consistent with national interest, why not?" Lacierda said on
state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
Earlier reports said a Filipino-Chinese doctor
plans to appeal to Hong Kong chief executive C.Y. Leung to reconsider the
decision of the Hong Kong government.
The Philippines had expressed regret over the
tragedy that killed eight Hong Kong tourists, but remained firm in not issuing
an apology.
Hong Kong revoked the visa-free privileges of
holders of official Philippine passports after the Philippines refused to
apologize for the 2010 tragedy.
In August 2010, eight Hong Kong tourists were
killed in a botched rescue attempt by police for a busload of tourists taken
hostage by a dismissed policeman seeking reinstatement. PND (jl)
Palace: Despite 'word war' over territory, other
aspects of Phl-China ties continue
Despite a recent exchange of words, the
Philippines and China continue to enjoy close ties in other aspects, Malacañang
maintained Saturday.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said both
countries are "responsible enough" to continue other aspects of their
ties despite conflicting positions in one subject.
"Patuloy ang ating relationships with China
on different levels (such as) tourism, culture (Our relationships with China on
other aspects continue, such as in tourism and culture)," he said on
state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
The Philippines and China are engaged in a
territorial dispute over parts of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
Earlier this week, President Benigno Aquino III
was criticized in an article of China's state-run Xinhua News Agency over the
territorial row between the two countries.
But on Friday, the President noted criticisms
that appeared in Xinhua, a state-owned publication, that resorted to vicious
name-calling instead of addressing the maritime conflict.
Instead of getting offended, the President said
the criticism bolstered the country’s position in the territorial row with
China.
“Nagpapasalamat nalang ako sa Xinhua dahil ang
sabi nga parang nire-reaffirm iyong validity nung ating posisyon (I thank
Xinhua because it reaffirmed the validity of our position),” the President said
in a media interview after the change of command ceremony at the Philippine
Army.
The President however pointed out that if the
Xinhua writer believed China has a good case, (the article) should have focused
on the facts to argue and explain its position. PND (jl)
