President Aquino says politics not his priority
President Benigno S. Aquino III said he will
announce the administration’s bet for the 2016 election at the right time but
in the mean time he will focus on governance to improve the condition of the
people.
Politicians have started their posturing for the
national poll two years from now.
“I will announce at the appropriate time. Pero
sa ngayon, syempre naka-focus tayo sa problema ngayon imbes na ‘yung 2016
elections,” the President said in an interview during the Pinoy Music Summit in
Malate, Manila on Wednesday.
The year has just started and the President said
he hopes his allies would understand his priorities at this time.
With the onset of the rainy season a few months
from now, the President said he expects typhoons to come and he wants to make
sure that communities are prepared against calamities. He added that he has a
few months to establish those priorities.
Asked whether he thinks jockeying for positions
by politicians was helpful to the country, he said it gives the people more
time to scrutinize political personalities who show interest in running in
2016.
“Baka mabibigyan ng mas mahabang pagkakataon
suriin ang bawat kandidato. Mabibigyan ang ating mga mamamayan ng pagkakataon
na talagang masuri, salang-sala ang pagpipili nila, so palagay ko makakatulong
rin ‘yun,” he said. PND (as)
Aquino meets Mitsubishi chief in Malacanang
President Benigno S. Aquino III received
Wednesday Mitsubishi Motors Corp. President Osamu Masuko in a courtesy call in
Malacanang.
Last month, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. shuffled its
top brass naming Masuko chairman and CEO of the company. The changes take
effect on June 25, pending shareholder approval, according to the company.
Masuko, 64, became president in 2005, has led
the company to record profits following a rough period marked by red ink,
allegations of cover ups over product defects, and a tumultuous split with
German partner Daimler AG.
He is expected to focus his attention on
building partnerships with other automakers as he takes on a chief executive
title.
Accompanying Masuko were Hikosaburo Shibata,
president and CEO, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp.; Tatsuo Nakamura, vice
corporate general manager, Mitsubishi Motors Corp.; Yoshizumi Kurata, senior
vice president, machinery division, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp.;
Morizako Chokki, senior executive officer, Mitsubishi Motors Corp.; and Junya
Masuda, executive vice president marketing division, Mitsubishi Motors
Philippines Corp.
Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo was also
present.
Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. was
established in the Philippines on February 20, 1963 as Chrysler Philippines
Corp.
The company now markets over 16 types of
vehicles in the Philippines, after 48 years of operation. Its assembly plant is
located in Cainta, Rizal. PND (as)
High profile fugitives soon-to-be behind bars,
says President Aquino
The government is determined to capture high
profile fugitives and the public could expect that they would be behind bars
soon, President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Wednesday.
Security officials are persistently pursuing
leads to capture fugitives who have evaded arrest for some time, he said,
noting that the government even raised the reward money to encourage the public
to provide information for their capture.
“Ang kaya kong masabi sa inyo ngayon, may
ine-expect kami, hindi ko na sasabihin kung sino. At masasabi ko lang, palagay
ko kapag nagtagumpay ang isang kasalukuyang operasyon, mabibilib kayo doon sa
kalibre ng mga nadakip at madadakip,” the President told reporters in an
interview during the Pinoy Music Summit in Malate, Manila.
“Palagay ko pwede kong ipangako sa inyong
magugulat kayo—kung magtagumpay.”
The President declined to provide details in
order not to jeopardize the ongoing man-hunt operations.
Among those included in the police’s five Most
Wanted Persons are retired general Jovito Palparan, former Palawan governor
Joel Reyes and his brother, and former congressman Ruben Ecleo.
The police has recently captured Delfin Lee, the
alleged mastermind in the multi-billion peso housing scam during the previous
administration. PND (as)
President Aquino urges Philippine music industry
players to embrace digital age
President Benigno S. Aquino III urged various
stakeholders in the Philippine music industry on Wednesday to keep on finding
ways to adapt with the digital age in the hopes that this will bring back the
glory days of OPM (original Pilipino music) instead of killing the trade.
Speaking at the first Pinoy Music Summit,
President Aquino said he recognized the challenges posed by the rapidly
evolving technology, but this should not discourage songwriters and other
artists from sharing their music, especially with younger audiences.
Citing an essay he read and the experience
shared with him by Air Asia president Tony Fernandes, President Aquino conveyed
there were many ways in which technology can become a friend to Pinoy musicians
rather than foe.
Fernandes, who paid a courtesy call on President
Aquino during his visit to Malaysia last month, used to be the regional
vice-president of Warner Music Group for Southeast Asia, but decided to leave
the company when it initially refused to embrace digital media.
“Mr. Fernandes said—and I quote—it went
something like this: ‘When they failed to embrace the new digital technology. I
felt the company was going to a dead end.’ Ang punto po nito: Dahil sa
teknolohiya at takbo ng mundo, maging ang mga ibang bansa, nakakaranas din ng
pagbaba sa sales ng kanilang music industry,” President Aquino said.
“Hindi lamang tayo ang may hinaharap na hamon sa
pagpapaunlad ng industriyang mahal nating lahat. Kaya nga po, talagang
napapanahon ang kauna-unahang Pinoy Music Summit na ito. Ngayon, may espasyo
ang lahat sa entablado; may boses ang sinumang handang makiambag sa
pagpapanatili at pagpapaunlad ng musikang Pilipino.”
President Aquino mentioned the current situation
of the recording industry in the United States, where some companies decided to
make music more accessible to a larger market, using technology that helped
boost the sales of many artists to the point that even the production of vinyl
has been revived.
“Imagine, especially the young nowadays can
purchase single tracks and enjoy the music that they want. Some kids will say,
‘Why do I have to buy the entire album when there is only one song that I want
to listen to?'"
So sa madaling salita, ang mga nag-e-experience
ng growth ngayon ay ‘yung mga nakinig kung ano ba ang hinahanap ng merkado
nila; hindi pinahirapan, hindi pinagdamot ang produkto nila na gustong ibenta
naman… At ang nadidiskubre po nila sa Amerika, among other areas—isa sa
pinakamalaking merkado siyempre ay ang Amerika—tumataas ang pagbebenta ng
plaka. ‘Yung lumang catalogues nire-revive,” the President said.
The digital age was among the reasons blamed by
most Filipino musicians for the constant decline of record sales over the past
10 years. The 2010 Nielsen Southeast Asia Digital Consumer Report estimated
that 37 percent of Filipinos download or upload music files online.
The Philippine Association of Recording Industry
(PARI), however, said that 95 percent of listeners download songs illegally,
thus making it difficult for music producers to thrive despite the estimated
400 percent increase in digital music revenues from 2005 to 2010.
But some independent artists and record labels
would rise up to this challenge by experimenting with different ways of
marketing their music online, relying on alternative platforms like YouTube and
social media networks, for example, to reach a wider audience.
President Aquino even said that he himself was
aided by technology at some point, particularly the mobile application
‘Soundhound,' in searching for song titles that radio jocks failed to mention
on air. He said he also finds the idea of remixing songs enjoyable.
“Nandiyan po ‘yung kagustuhan ng sambayanan na
ipagpatuloy na tulungan ang industriyang ito. Kailangan lang po natin siguro ng
diyalogo: Paano nga ba natin mapapadaling ibenta sa kanila ang gusto naman
nilang bilhin? Ano ba ang gusto nilang mabili at maibigay natin ito sa kanila?
At doon po matutulungan at mapapanatili itong aspeto ng ating kultura na talaga
naman pong malaki ang inambag sa kasaysayan ng ating bansa at pati na rin sa
pag-aasam sa hinaharap,” he said. PND (hdc)
Aquino recognizes importance of music to
culture, vows to continue helping recording industry fight piracy
President Benigno S. Aquino III recognized the
power of music in shaping our culture, thereby assuring his administration’s
help in developing the country’s music industry, especially in its anti-piracy
campaign through various government agencies.
The Philippine Association of Recording Industry
(PARI) blamed piracy as one of the main culprits for the 75 percent drop in
record sales of local artists over the past 10 years, accounting for
P1-billion.
In his speech at the first Pinoy Music Summit
held Wednesday in Manila, President Aquino said his government continues to support
the efforts led by the Optical Media Board (OMB) in cracking down
establishments that either manufacture or sell pirated optical media products.
He reported that the OMB seized pirated goods
estimated to cost over P9-million from 2011 to 2013, and cleared some 2,705
establishments that promote these products, through the help of the Philippine
National Police and the Bureau of Customs.
President Aquino, meanwhile, added that his
administration also upheld and strengthened Executive Order 255 signed by his
mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, in 1987 which gives mandatory
airtime for original Pilipino music in local radio stations.
“Bilang pagpupugay sa kakayahan ng mga Pilipino,
pinirmahan po ng aking ina ang Executive Order 255 noong 1987. Ang layunin po
nito: ipalaganap ang sarili nating musika sa pamamagitan ng pagpapatugtog sa
radyo ng hindi bababa sa apat na kantang Pilipino kada oras. Pinaigting naman
po natin ito sa pag-aatas sa National Telecommunications Commission na bantayan
ang pagsunod ng mga istasyon ng radyo sa batas na ito,” he said.
The Chief Executive, moreover, stated that the
government is currently implementing the World Intellectual Property
Organization Internet Treaties, which “require countries to provide a framework
of basic rights, allowing creators to control and/or be compensated for the
various ways in which their creations are used and enjoyed by others.”
“Batid naman natin, marami pang balakid ang
kailangang pagtulungang lampasan upang tuluyan nating mapaarangkada ang
industriya ng lokal na musika. Sa kabila nito, mulat din tayo: Mag-iba man ang
mga kasangkapan o paraan ng pakikinig sa tugtugin—mula plaka, cassette tape,
CD, DVD, hanggang sa online media—hindi kukupas ang pagmamahal ng Pilipino sa
musika.
Hangga’t may kababayan tayong lumilikha ng
awiting may himig, laman, at ritmong tugma sa kaisipan, kultura at damdaming
Pilipino; hangga’t may mga kompanya at organisasyong naniniwala at handang
mamuhunan sa talentong Pilipino; hangga’t nariyan ang sambayanan, nakikinig at
tumatangkilik sa sarili nating musika, at buo ang suporta sa buong
industriya—kumpiyansa po tayong hindi tayo mauubusan ng mga komposisyong kukurot,
kikiliti, magpapakilig, magpapaindak, o magpapaalab, hindi lamang sa damdaming
Pilipino, kundi maging sa buong mundo,” President Aquino said. PND (hdc)
Lacson shields President Aquino against
criticisms
Former senator Panfilo Lacson defended President
Benigno S. Aquino III from accusations labeling the president as an "awful
manager."
Lacson, who was appointed by the President as
Presidential assistant for rehabilitation and recovery secretary, said that the
President is not an awful manager but somebody who pays more attention to
details.
“Hindi ako sang-ayon doon kasi nakatrabaho ko na
rin ang Pangulo up close. And definitely, hindi siya awful manager,” Lacson
told DZRH radio on Wednesday in an interview.
Lacson said he knows the President’s attitude
saying that during Cabinet meetings, the chief executive always pays special
attention to details and figures.
“Iyong mga Cabinet members na nagpi-presenta,
iyong mga agencies, sinisigurado nila na ang mga figures na pinipresenta gaya
ng mga information na ibinibigay sa Pangulo ay talagang accurate,” he said.
Sen. Sergio Osmena III has criticized the
President for being a bad manager but Lacson said it isn’t the case.
“With due respect to Senator Serge, kaibigan ko
iyan, seatmate ko, pero I did not agree with his—‘awful manager’ ang ating
Pangulo,” he added.
The important thing is that the country has a
transparent and honest president. The country does not need an excellent
manager who is corrupt and does not enjoy the people’s trust.
“Mahusay, honest pa saka transparent, at saka
hindi mandarambong. Sa atin, pagka honest ang Pangulo, more than 50 percent ng
kanyang pamamahala ay okay na, panalo na,” he said.
“Pero kung maski anong galing ng manager,
sabihin na nating best manager we can have, pero kung nanakawin naman ang
pondo, as if 50 percent talo na. So, sa pananaw ko ngayon, dito na ako sa
manager na maayos mag-handle ng pondo at saka transparent at saka ang
integridad mataas.”
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. also issued a statement regarding the issue.
He said the Palace respects the views of Senator
Osmena and noted the urgency of carrying out development and reform measures
for the people.
“We respect Senator Osmena’s views. As the President’s
campaign manager in 2010, we regard him as an important stakeholder in the
quality of this administration’s performance,” Presidential Communications
Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr said in a statement Wednesday.
Having worked with the senator during the
campaign, Coloma said he knows that Senator Osmena is a firm believer of hard
work to attain high standards of performance.
“We share his view that, going into the last two
and a half years of this administration’s tenure, we must intensify our efforts
to deliver the reforms and the quality services that we promised to our people.
This is especially true in the areas of energy and infrastructure on which he
has expressed strong opinions,” Coloma said.
The senator, who served as campaign manager for
the administration candidates in the last presidential election, expressed
disappointment over the Aquino administration’s handling of major issues in the
country especially infrastructure and energy.
He urged the administration to speed up
infrastructure developments through the public private partnership (PPP). PND
(as)
Reconstruction efforts in typhoon-hit areas
continue – Lacson
Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and
Recovery (PARR) Secretary Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday said that reconstruction
efforts continue in the areas hit hard by super Typhoon "Yolanda" a
few months ago.
In an interview over radio station dzRH,
Secretary Lacson said that the private sector is helping in the reconstruction
projects, such as school buildings and housing units, while the government is
preparing its rehabilitation plan.
“Ang top corporations nandiyan at nagsasagawa ng
kani-kanilang mga rehabilitation efforts doon—mga reconstruction, pagsasagawa
ng mga school buildings, housing unit, at kung anu-ano pa,” he said.
The secretary cited that at least 22 housing
units in Tanauan, Leyte, are set to be turned over by Gawad Kalinga to the
local government. He also said that the private sector has already turned over
a municipal hall and a market to the local government of Leyte.
Lacson added that there is also an ongoing
construction of a school complex in the province. “Sa iba’t ibang lugar
talagang napakaraming construction ang nangyayari,” the secretary said during
the radio interview.
Secretary Lacson said they are now waiting for
the completion of the post-disaster needs assessment analysis. “At pagkatapos
noon, iyon ang magiging basehan ng pagbabalangkas ng isang rehabilitation plan,
iyong master plan na tinatawag,” he said.
Typhoon Yolanda (international codename Haiyan)
hit the Philippines in November 8, 2013 and left thousands of people dead in
Eastern Visayas and brought massive damage to infrastructures. PND (co)
