Palace: National Day of Prayer for victims of
recent calamities, not for recalling EDSA-2
The National Day of Prayer to be held on Monday
is for victims of recent calamities and not for recalling the EDSA-2 revolt
that catapulted former Vice President Gloria Arroyo to the presidency in 2001,
Malacañang maintained Sunday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said the date of the prayer and the
anniversary of EDSA-2 are coincidental.
"Malinaw na wala talagang kinalaman sa
pagtatakda sa araw ng panalangin. Nagkataon na yan ang petsang napili sa okasyon
(Clearly, there is no connection between the day of prayer and EDSA-2. The date
of the prayer was purely coincidental)," Coloma said on state-run dzRB
Radyo ng Bayan.
On Monday, President Benigno S. Aquino III is to
lead the nation in offering prayers for the victims of last year's tragedies.
These include the failed Zamboanga City siege in
September, the magnitude-7.2 quake in Central Visayas in October, and super
typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November.
Coloma said different religious groups as well
as victims of the three tragedies will be represented in Monday's prayer at the
Palace.
National and local government officials as well
as victims and survivors of the recent calamities are also invited to the
event, he added.
Also, Coloma said Monday's event will seek
divine intervention for the Philippines. PND (jl)
Palace cites safety reasons in barring of sea
trips in Tropical Depression 'Agaton'-affected areas
Malacañang on Sunday sought understanding from
Filipinos stranded in areas affected by Tropical Depression "Agaton"
(Lingling), saying the Coast Guard has barred vessels from leaving port in
those places for safety reasons.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said they continue to monitor situation
reports from areas affected by Agaton.
"Ang mga kababayan natin na nagbabalak
bumiyahe sa sasakyang pandagat ay pinigilan at naghihintay sa daungan. Ayaw
natin malagay sila sa panganib (People planning trips via seacraft are not
allowed to travel if the area is affected by Agaton. We do not want them to be
in danger)," Coloma said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
"Ang patakaran ng Philippine Coast Guard,
sa Signal No. 1 ay hindi pinapayagang magpalaot ang sasakyang pandagat (The
Coast Guard's policy is to bar sea trips in areas under Storm Signal No.
1)," he added.
The Philippine Coast Guard said that as of 8
a.m. Sunday, some 7,325 passengers were stranded in Central and Eastern
Visayas, Bicol, and Northern Mindanao.
It also barred 50 vessels, 606 rolling cargoes
and 23 motor bancas in the affected ports from sailing. PND (jl)
Palace hopeful on next round of talks between
government, MILF
Malacañang on Sunday expressed optimism the
upcoming next round of peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front will finally address the contentious issues blocking the way
to a final peace agreement.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said the government is hopeful both sides
will reach an agreement to finally end the conflict.
"Maaring ito na ang huling yugto ng
negosasyon sa pagitan ng pamahalaan at ng MILF (It could be the final round of
talks between the government and the MILF)," Coloma said on state-run dzRB
Radyo ng Bayan.
He said a final agreement would be a big boost
to democracy and peace especially in Mindanao.
Last December, the Office of the Presidential
Adviser on the Peace Process said it and the MILF will aim to finalize the
remaining Annex on Normalization, as well as an addendum on the Bangsamoro
waters.
It said the Annex on Normalization will
concretize the vision for a post-conflict Bangsamoro.
Also, the government aims to work closely with
the Transition Commission and Congress to ensure the smooth passage of the
Bangsamoro Basic Law. PND (jl)
Palace: Government commitment vs child
exploitation anchored on solid legal basis
The government has solid legal basis in
fulfilling its commitment to protect children from exploitation, including that
by child pornography syndicates, Malacañang said Sunday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said this includes the 1987 Constitution
and international treaties signed by the Philippines.
"Ang commitment ng bansang Pilipinas sa
pagkalinga at pagbibigay proteksyon sa mga bata ay matagal nang naitakda sa
ating Konstitusyon sa pagtalima natin sa mga pamantayan ng United Nations at
iba pang pandaigdigang organisasyon at sa mga pambansang batas na naipasa ng
ating Kongreso (The Philippines' commitment to protect children from
exploitation is mandated by our Constitution and by our compliance with the
standards of the United Nations and other international organizations as well
as laws passed by our Congress)," Coloma said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng
Bayan.
He cited Act No. 1670, the first child
welfare-related law, which was passed on July 8, 1907.
Also, he said the country has a Child and Youth
Welfare Code that became law in 1974.
The Philippines also ratified the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Children in 1990, he added.
"Sa atin pong mga batas, pinapahalagahan
ang responsibilidad ng mga magulang at ang papel na ginagampanan ng pamilya at
tahanan, komunidad, simbahan, at ng pamahalaan (In our laws, we value the
responsibility of parents and the roles of the family, the home, the community,
the Church, and government)," Coloma said.
He added the protection extends to all children,
including dependents, those that are neglected, and those with disabilities.
Coloma added the government has set up an
Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) headed by the Vice President,
with the Department of Justice as the lead agency.
He added the Philippine National Police set up
units to combat transnational and cyber crimes, while the Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group is going after cyber-pornography rings in
Metro Manila, Angeles City, Cagayan de Oro City, and Cebu.
"Ang child pornography at child abuse ay
sakop ng mandato ng IACAT sapagka't ang mga krimeng ito ay isinasagawa sa
pamamagitan ng pagsasamantala sa mga batang ginagawang instrumento ng kalakal
(Child pornography and child abuse fall under the mandates of IACAT because
these offenses exploit children and make them tools of trade)," he said.
Meanwhile, Coloma called on citizens to support
the government fight against child pornography and exploitation.
"Huwag po nating payagang sila ay
mapariwara at mapagsamantalahan ng mga kriminal at ng mga sindikato (Let us not
allow our children to be exploited by these criminal syndicates)," he
said. PND (jl)
Palace: Aquino administration to sustain good
governance measures amid encouraging feedback from traders
Malacañang on Sunday vowed to maintain its
policy of good governance, after a recent Social Weather Stations survey showed
the reforms the Aquino administration put in place were taking effect.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said good governance is one of the five
pillars of the Philippine Development Plan.
"Buo ang paninindigan ng gobyerno at ng
lahat ng ahensya nito na maipagpatuloy ang mga nasimulang reporma upang higit
pang mapahusay ang paglilingkod sa mamamayan at magawang pang-matagalang pamantayan
ng serbisyo publiko ang mabuting pamamahala (The government and its agencies
are committed to continue the reforms they started to improve service to our
people and to make good governance long-term)," he said on state-run dzRB
Radyo ng Bayan.
He cited the results of the 2013 SWS survey of
951 enterprises in key cities, where he said government efforts to fight
corruption were starting to show results.
In the survey, he said the number of traders who
said they were asked to pay bribes or fees continued to go down, from 60 and 50
percent in 2009 at 2012 respectively to 44 percent in 2013.
He also said that while there was an increase in
the number of traders who claimed seeing "a lot" of corruption in the
public sector in 2013, the 56 percent is the second lowest since 2000.
Also, Coloma said confidence of traders in
government remains high, with more traders saying the national government is
promoting a good business climate compared to 2012.
He added business expectations for the next two
years are excellent/good, reaching a record-high 76 percent in 2013 compared to
74 percent in 2012. PND (jl)
Palace reaffirms stand against unjustified power
rate hikes
Malacañang on Sunday reaffirmed the Aquino
administration's stand against unjustified power rate hikes, amid reported
plans of militant groups to stage a blackout protest this Tuesday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. also said President Benigno S. Aquino III
and the government continue to keep tabs on the issue.
"Patuloy ang pagsusubaybay ng Pangulo at ng
pamahalaan sa isyung ito at patuloy ang determinasyon huwag pairalin ang hindi
makatuwirang singil sa kuryente (The President and the government will continue
to monitor developments on this issue. They remain determined not to allow an
unjustified rate adjustment)," Coloma said on state-run dzRB Radyo ng
Bayan.
Some groups earlier announced plans to hold a
blackout protest on Jan. 21, the day the Supreme Court is to hold oral arguments
on the rate adjustments.
Meanwhile, Coloma said the government will
respect the views of some groups reportedly planning protest actions against
the administration.
But he said the government is willing to listen
to such groups if they have concrete suggestions related to the grievances they
will raise. PND (jl)
