Tuesday 1 April 2014

PIA News Dispatch - Wednesday, March 19, 2014

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)