President Aquino renews license at LTO
Two days before he turns 54, President Benigno
Aquino III on Thursday went to the Land Transportation Office in Tayuman,
Manila to have his driver's license renewed.
But the President, who has rejected the
so-called wang-wang mentality since he assumed office in 2010, waited in line
along with other license applicants.
Many applicants were surprised to see the
President standing and waiting for his turn, while others greeted him.
Some even had photos taken with him.
The President wore a barong with a yellow
ribbon.
With the President were Transportation Secretary
Joseph Emilio Abaya and newly promoted Presidential Communications Operations
Office Undersecretary Renato Marfil. PND (jl)
DOE advises power suppliers to conduct
maintenance on power plants to ensure these will operate optimally in the
summer
The Department of Energy has advised power
suppliers to conduct periodic and regular maintenance of their respective
facilities to ensure that these will operate and provide power optimally during
the summer months, Presidential Communications and Operations Office Secretary
HErminio Coloma, Jr. said on Thursday.
In a press conference in Malacanang, Coloma told
reporters that Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla had called on the country’s
power producers to conduct maintenance on their facilities to ensure
uninterrupted delivery of electricity during the summer season.
“The Department of Energy has advised power
plants to undertake preventive and regular maintenance of their facilities so
that these will operate optimally during the peak demand months,” Coloma said.
He added that the government will tap the
resources of the Malaya thermal power plant in Pililia, Rizal to augment the
power demand that is expected to rise at the onset of the summer season and
ensure continuity of power supply.
“To ensure continuity of power supply during the
summer season, according to Secretary Petilla, the government is prepared to
run the Malaya thermal power plant up to 70 days to boost supply during the
summer months when demand is expected to rise especially in Luzon,” Coloma
said. PND (rck)
Government taking steps to ensure power supply
during summer, Palace assures
Malacañang assured the public Thursday the
government is taking steps to ensure continued power supply during the hot
summer months, when demand for electricity is expected to go up.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho
Petilla had assured government is ready to run the Malaya thermal plant up to
70 days.
"Government is taking necessary steps to
ensure continuity of power supply during the summer season. According to
Secretary Petilla, the government is prepared to run the Malaya thermal power
plant up to 70 days to boost supply during the summer months, when demand is
expected to rise especially in Luzon," Coloma said at a media briefing.
But he also said the Department of Energy has
advised power plants to conduct preventive and regular maintenance of their
facilities so they will operate during the months when demand for power peaks.
Demand for electricity is expected to rise
during the hot summer months as households and establishments operate
appliances to beat the heat. PND (jl)
Palace: Understanding, not retaliation, to be
guide in dealing with Hong Kong concern
Achieving understanding and closure, and not
retaliation, will be the guiding principle of the Philippine government in
dealing with the sanctions imposed recently by Hong Kong, Malacañang said
Thursday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said suggestions to retaliate for Hong
Kong's revocation of visa-free privileges for holders of official Philippine
passports may be counter-productive.
"Sa anumang sitwasyon na may pagkakaiba ng
pananaw, ano ba ang magpapalapit sa posisyon, ano ba ang option na dapat
tahakin para madagdagan imbis na mabawasan ang pagtitiwala at pagkakaunawaan?
(Ang) retaliatory options, kabahagi ba sila ng magpapalapit sa pagkakaunawaan o
papalayo doon (In situations where there is a difference of opinion, what will
bring the parties closer to an understanding and what would lessen trust and
understanding? Will retaliatory options bring us closer or move us far away
from an understanding)?" Coloma said at a media briefing.
"Ang focus ay sa hakbang na makapagpalapit
sa pagkaroon ng pagkaunawaan at pagkalinga sa mga affected families. Yan ang
primary concern natin (Our focus is to reach an understanding and help the
affected families. That is our primary concern)," he added.
He added both sides are still continuing to
engage each other through "continuing dialogues and conversations that
hopefully would lead to achieving mutually satisfactory results and
closure."
"All I can say is that we are purposively
pursuing avenues for the possible attainment of closure on this matter. Our
focus is on being able to provide direct support to the affected families,
which is part of the framework for reaching and understanding," he said.
In the meantime, he said that in the face of all
recent developments, the Philippine government "remains determined"
to pursue the attainment of a mutual agreement.
Such a path will be the "most beneficial
for our people especially Filipinos working and residing in Hong Kong," he
added.
Coloma also reassured Filipinos in Hong Kong the
government is prepared to help them and ensure their rights, including those of
ease of travel and employment opportunities.
"Kaya sinasabi natin naghahanda naman ang
ating pamahalaan ng karampatang hakbang para tiyakin ang kapakanan ng ating
mamamayan ay mapangalagaan (The government is preparing the proper steps to
uphold the welfare of Filipinos)," he said.
"Hindi natin makokontrol ang action ng
external parties (We cannot control the actions of external parties). We can
only control our response to these issues," he added. PND (jl)
Palace: Schools that adjusted calendars have
their own charters
The schools that have adjusted their academic
calendars are presumed to have weighed the pros and cons of their decisions,
Malacañang said Thursday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. also noted that while UP is a government
institution’ it has its own charter.
"Ang binanggit na paaralan ay may
kanya-kanyang charter (The schools have their own charters). UP is a government
institution but it has its own charter," Coloma said at a media briefing.
The Ateneo de Manila University and University
of the Philippines have approved a shift of the start of the academic calendar
from June to August.
Coloma said there is nothing preventing these
schools from adjusting their calendars.
"Siguro naman reasonable na isipin at
sabihin na bago nila marating ang decision na yan pinagaralan nang mabuti (It
would be reasonable to assume they studied their options well before arriving
at their respective decisions)," he added.
He also said adjusting the school calendar is
not new, noting this had been done during the administration of President
Diosdado Macapagal, when Alejandro Roces was education secretary, though the
start of the academic calendar was eventually reverted to June. PND (jl)
Palace: Government confident of keeping
inflation rate within target
The country’s economic managers remain confident
that inflation will be kept within their target and the government will closely
watch recent economic developments to protect consumers from price adjustments,
the Palace said on Thursday.
“The government also continues to monitor
closely the movement of consumer prices in order to protect the citizens’
purchasing power,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary
Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said in a statement.
Coloma also said the government’s economic
managers are aware of the pressures exerted by global developments, especially
the tapering policies of the US Federal Reserve that have affected the
peso-dollar exchange rates and are doing the necessary measures to protect the
country from these adjustments.
“While the inflation rate in January rose to 4.2
percent, our economic managers are confident that inflation will be kept within
the DBCC (Development Budget Coordination Committee) target, ranging from three
to five percent,” he added.
The Philippines’s inflation rate in December
increased to its highest level in two years as a result of devastation of
Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas region, the government said.
The National Statistics Office said inflation in
December was at 4.1 percent, the highest since December 2011 when the country's
inflation rate was at 4.2 percent.
And while the Philippines and other emerging
market economies are feeling the brunt of structural adjustments in the US and
other leading markets, the country’s sound macroeconomic fundamentals makes it
in a better position to reap the potential benefits from the economic recovery
of the US and European countries that have significant trade and invest in the
Philippines, Coloma said. PND (as)
President Aquino to attend Elsie Gaches Village
50th anniversary
President Benigno S. Aquino III will attend
Friday the 50th founding anniversary of the Elsie Gaches Village (EGV), the
first and largest government facility for people with developmental disorders.
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.
Among those who are expected to join the
President will be Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, DSWD Regional
Director Alicia Bonoan, local officials and stakeholders. PND (as)
