UK foreign minister, party pay courtesy call on
President Aquino
UK Foreign Minister William Hague on Thursday
met with President Benigno S. Aquino III as part of his visit to the
Philippines.
Minister Hague and his party paid a courtesy
call on the President in Malacañan Palace's Music Room.
With the minister were:
- UK Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad
- former UK Ambassador Stephen Lillie, now
director of the Asia Pacific Directorate of the Foreign Commonwealth Office
- Arminka Helic, special adviser to Minister
Hague
- Stephen Lysaght, First Secretary of the UK
Embassy in the Philippines
- Katherine Dixon
The Philippine officials at the courtesy call
included:
- Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert
del Rosario
- Department of Trade and Industry Secretary
Gregory Domingo
- DFA Undersecretary Evan Garcia
- Philippine Ambassador to UK Enrique Manalo
- National Treasurer Lea de Leon
Minister Hague earlier assured the Philippines
of continued aid from the UK in rehabilitation work for areas affected by super
Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).
He also voiced support for the peace process in
Mindanao, where government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front negotiators signed
last weekend an annex that would pave the way for a comprehensive peace
agreement.
The minister posted on his Twitter account
Wednesday he was "delighted to have met the Mindanao peace process
negotiators."
"Their achievement is outstanding, for their
country now and future generations," he said.
He also noted he is the first UK Foreign
Secretary to visit since 1997, and aims to "strengthen a vital
relationship in Southeast Asia." PND (jl)
Palace: Evidence, not persecution, basis of
forefeiture case vs former CJ Corona
Evidence and not persecution is the basis of
criminal and civil charges to be filed by the Ombudsman against former Chief
Justice Renato Corona and his wife Cristina, Malacañang said Thursday.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
head Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Palace believes the Office of the Ombudsman
is acting as an independent constitutional body in pursuing the charges against
Corona.
"We trust this action was taken by the
Ombudsman on the basis of objective gathering of information, and the case was
filed based on concrete evidence. It's the independence of the office and the
integrity of the Ombudsman herself that is on the line here," he said at a
media briefing.
He added the Palace joins the Filipino people in
trusting the process will have a beneficial outcome.
Besides, he said the charges constitute a
"logical continuation" of Corona's impeachment trial where he was
convicted and stripped of his post.
"Kaya siguro dapat natin ikagalak at
ikatuwa na nagkaroon ng progreso sa proseso ng paghanap ng katotohanan at
katarungan (We should welcome the progress of this process of searching for
truth and justice)," he added. PND (jl)
Palace to respect SC decision to reinstated
Deputy Ombudsman
Malacañang on Thursday said it will respect the
Supreme Court's decision to reinstate Deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzales III, who
the Office of the President dismissed three years ago.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said the Palace will follow the law and
abide by the decision of the court.
"(A)ng aming position sa ganoong bagay ang
paggalang sa desisyon ng hukuman. We are abiding by decisions of the court
dahil sumusunod tayo sa batas (Our position is to respect the decision of the
court. We are abiding by the decision of the court because we follow the rule
of law)," Coloma said at a media briefing.
He was referring to reports that the high court
affirmed the reinstatement of Gonzales, who was sacked for supposedly
mishandling the case of a police officer in the Manila hostage crisis in August
2010.
Earlier reports also said the high court ruled
that while the OP has the power to discipline the Office of the Special
Prosecutor, it has no such power over the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman. PND
(jl)
Aquino government expresses elation over the
2013 economic performance of the Philippines and assures to focus on poverty
alleviation
The Aquino government welcomed the report of the
National Economic Development Authority showing that the country's gross
domestic product (GDP) grew by 7.2 percent in 2013 and assured it remains
focused on achieving inclusive growth by reducing poverty and increasing social
protection, a Palace official said.
"We are pleased to share with you NEDA’s
report this morning that the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country grew
remarkably by 7.2 percent in 2013, exceeding the six to seven percent target
despite the series of calamities and natural disasters that struck the country
last year," Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary
Herminio Coloma Jr. said during the regular press briefing in Malacanang on
Thursday.
While GDP growth slowed slightly to 6.5 percent
in the fourth quarter, Coloma said the Philippines remains one of the best
performing economies in the region, second only to China which grew by 7.7
percent.
The Communications Secretary said the NEDA
projects that the country will reach its GDP target of between 6.5 percent to
seven percent for 2014.
"We will focus on growing exports, taking
advantage of the improving global economy. We will also continue to reduce the
cost and improve the ease of doing business to increase foreign direct
investments," Coloma stressed.
He said the government will improve linkages
between agriculture and industry to boost the growth of these sectors.
"We are pleased to note that with
manufacturing at the forefront, the industry sector achieved double-digit
growth of 12.3 percent in the fourth quarter, and 10.5 percent for the
full-year," he said.
Coloma said the government seeks to promote
increased and enhanced employment opportunities to fully harness the vast
potential of the country's highly-talented workforce.
He said infrastructure projects will be
implemented vigorously, especially in the rehabilitation of calamity areas.
Major infrastructure projects, especially in the
transport sector, will also be a significant growth factor, Coloma said.
"Most importantly, government remains
focused on achieving inclusive growth by reducing poverty and increasing social
protection. The updated Philippine Development Plan emphasizes the spatial or
area-specific dimensions of development," he said.
"Hence, government spending is directed at
increasing the productivity and reducing the vulnerability of farmers,
fisherfolk, and other marginalized sectors of Philippine society," Coloma
said. PND (js)
Palace: AFP, PNP following rules of engagement,
respecting human rights in operations vs BIFF
Malacañang on Thursday reassured the public the
Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police follow the rules
of engagement and respect human rights as they go after a splinter group of
secessionist rebels in Mindanao.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
head Herminio Coloma Jr. said the objective is to help keep the Bangsamoro
Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) from intruding into communities of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MNLF).
"Kailangang unawain natin na ... ang
pangunahing responsibilidad ng AFP at PNP ay pangalagaan ang kaligtasan ng
ating mamamayan (We have to understand that the top concern of the AFP and PNP
is to ensure the safety of our people)," Coloma said in a media briefing.
He said the military and the police are adhering
to the accepted rules of engagement, making sure they do not act
indiscriminately.
"Nakatitiyak tayo na ang lahat na kilos ng
AFP at law enforcement agencies, tumatalima sa batayang prinsipyong yan (We can
be sure all the movements of our law enforcement agencies follow those
principles)," he said.
Coloma also reassured groups such as the Moro
National Liberation Front that there is no discrimination in the operations.
The BIFF is a breakaway group of the MILF, whose
negotiators last weekend signed a peace annex with the government.
The annex is expected to pave the way for a
comprehensive peace agreement, which in turn is expected to lead to the
establishment of a Bangsamoro political entity. PND (jl)
President Aquino receives Malaysian facilitator
in Malacanang
President Benigno S. Aquino III received
Malaysian facilitator Tengku Dato Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed in a courtesy call
on Thursday following the signing of the final annex on the framework agreement
on the Bangsamoro between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) last weekend.
Tengku served as the facilitator of the peace
negotiation from 2001 to 2002 and from April 2011 until today.
Also present during the event were Presidential
spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., government
peace panel head Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, peace adviser Teresita Deles, and
foreign affairs Undersecretary Jesus Yabes.
After meeting Tenku, the President also met the
members of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.
Among those present were: MILF peace negotiator
Mohagher Iqbal, Bangsamoro Transition Commission members Melanio Ulama, Asami
Tamang, Said Shiek, Fatmawati Salappudin, Akmad Sakkam, Hussein Munoz, Froilyn
Mendoza, Raissa Jajurie, Pedrito Eisma, Abdulla Camlian, Talib Benito, Robert
Alonto, and Ibrahim Ali.
Other officials present were Finance Secretary
Cesar Purisima, Secretary Edwin Lacierda, Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Defense
Undersecretary Fernando Manalo, and Interior and Local Government
Undersecretary Rafael Santos.
Government peace panel members Senen Bacani and
Yasmin Busran-Lao were also present.
Last week, the President welcomed the signing of
the final annex of the peace agreement, the annex on normalization that will
pave the way for the crafting of a comprehensive agreement on the Bangsamoro.
With the signing of the final annex, the
government will now focus on crafting the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law that
will be submitted to Congress. The measure will then be subjected to a
plebiscite. PND (as)
President Aquino greets Filipino Chinese on
Lunar New Year
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Thursday sent
his greetings to the Filipino Chinese community as they prepare to welcome the
Year of the Horse on Friday.
In his message, the President urged Filipino
Chinese to deepen their partnerships with Filipinos in forging an "even
more equitably progressive Philippines."
"Let your proud heritage energize your
already dynamic bloc, that you may deepen your partnerships with our fellowmen
in forging an even more equitably progressive Philippines. May today’s
festivities reinforce your bond with your families and inspire you to expand
the circles of goodwill within and beyond your community," he said.
On Friday, Filipino Chinese in the Philippines
are expected to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
The President also said the nation finds
strength in diversity, "finding common ground in our citizens’ shared
aspirations and heading towards our goals through unity, mutual respect, and
positive engagement."
"May we uphold our solidarity, as we clear
our people’s path to resurgence and realize the next chapters of our
revitalization," he said. PND (jl)
