Bohol FabLab will help province recover from
quake devastation, says official
The launch of the Bohol Fabrication Laboratory
(FabLab) Shared Service Facility will be a big boost to the province’s recovery
efforts, following last year’s devastating earthquake, a government official
said Friday.
“I guess it’s the resiliency, at saka iyong
sipag, iyong tiyaga ng mga Boholano to really help themselves in rebuilding
what was damaged by the earthquake,” Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya told
reporters in an interview in Tagbilaran on Friday.
“Madali silang nakabangon at hindi sila nawalan
ng pag-asa. It’s really the drive and the culture of the Boholanos,” she said.
Most of the micro, small, and medium enterprises
(MSMEs) are operating normally today, several months after the quake, Maglaya
said, adding that 95 percent of these enterprises are already back in
operation.
The FabLab is a new thing that also involves new
technology in Bohol, the trade official noted.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is
working with partners like the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Bohol Island State
University (BISU) to achieve the objectives of the FabLab.
The DTI is opening the door to the DOST,
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Department of Education (DepEd), considering
the huge potential of FabLab in Bohol, Maglaya said.
President Benigno S. Aquino III attended the
launch of the FabLab in Bohol on Friday as well as the first FabLab Asian
Network (FAN1) Boot Camp and Conference.
The Bohol FabLab is a technical prototyping
platform for innovation and invention, providing stimulus for local
entrepreneurship. It is also a platform for learning and innovation. FabLab has
tie-ups with global educators, technologists, researchers and innovators from
about 50 countries.
The laboratory, the first of its kind in the
country, aims to help Boholanos to be competitive, especially in the creative
industry sector, by providing tools and equipment for prototyping and modeling.
PND (as)
Pension problems first before salary adjustment,
says President Aquino
President Benigno S. Aquino III said Friday that
although he wants an adjustment in the compensation of 1.6 million government
employees, he believes priority must be given to the pension of retired police
and military personnel.
“Bago natin dagdagan iyong sweldo, benepisyo ng
mga empleyado ng gobyerno, baka naman dapat nating isiping bayaran muna iyong
mga obligasyon natin sa empleyado ng gobyerno o mga dating empleyado ng
gobyerno,” the President said when asked by reporters during an interview in
Tagbilaran City whether he supports a legislation seeking an adjustment in the
salary of government employees to prevent corruption in government.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has recently
proposed an increase in the salary of government employees, including elected
officials, so they would not be tempted to engage in corruption.
President Aquino said that while it is also his
ambition to give employees higher compensation, it is a challenge at this
point, since the government has pending obligations in some areas of the
bureaucracy.
“Ambisyon natin iyon. Ang tanong, ambisyon, kaya
ba nating gawin?” he said.
President Aquino noted that the pension and
benefits of retiring members of the police and military remain unfunded at this
time.
Each year, their pensions are being funded by
the government from the national budget, he said, adding that based on recent
figures from the Budget Department, funding the police and military pensions
requires a seed money of P4.3 trillion, which is even higher than the country’s
current national budget of P2.6 trillion.
It may be good from the perspective of the
politicians, he said of the proposed salary increase.
He however said that he does not want to lie to
the people and that he will only back measures that are realistic and
practical.
President Aquino said that rather than
increasing the salary of government employees, he is more inclined to give them
incentives, for instance, housing benefits.
The government has provided more than 50,000
houses for members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the
Philippine National Police (PNP), he said.
He said his administration is considering
offering land reclamation projects for sale to raise money for pensions for
retired police and military personnel.
Senator Trillanes has proposed that the
President’s monthly salary be increased from less than P100,000 at present to
P1 million. He also proposed that the lowest grade government employees receive
a monthly salary of P9,000 to P16,000. PND (as)
Government continues to support Bohol
reconstruction, President Aquino says
The government continues to support the
rehabilitation efforts in quake-hit Bohol, with some infrastructures already
completed and some projects still ongoing, President Benigno S. Aquino III said
on Friday.
All roads in Bohol are usable, while temporary bridges
are passable and permanent bridges will be completed by October, the President
said after visiting a fabrication laboratory in Tagbilaran City.
The National Housing Authority’s (NHA) home
materials assistance program has helped 38,800 families in nine municipalities
devastated by the earthquake, he said.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD), under its emergency shelter assistance program, meanwhile gave P10,000
to each of 34,000 families in eight municipalities.
The President also reported that 4,517 housing
units are being built to replace the 8,000 houses totally damaged during the
earthquake.
The construction of the remaining units will
start this month and will be completed by October, he said, quoting the DSWD.
The project is a partnership between Habitat for
Humanity and concerned local government units.
So far, 11,398 individuals have benefitted from
the government’s cash-for-work program, and documentary requirements are being
arranged for another 42,000 to gain partial employment, he reported.
The construction of the Panglao airport will
start soon, he said, explaining that the project has been delayed because
experts had to study the soil to determine if it could support airport
activity.
The President said that after a study conducted
by the University of the Philippines, experts concluded that with technological
intervention, the project could push through.
With the construction of the new Panglao
airport, the area is viewed as the next Boracay, President Aquino said. PND
(as)
President Aquino says he has submitted his SALN
President Benigno S. Aquino III said Friday his
office has already submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman his statement of
assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN), which showed his asset and net worth
increasing by P1.3 million.
The President attributed the rise in his asset
and net worth to interest income, which came from cash on-hand that earned
interest at a particular interest rate.
President Aquino said he divested all his other
interests and let his siblings handle his expenses, which his sisters
eventually liquidated.
“Babayaran ko sila by the time I recover full
control of the assets that I have. So inabonohan muna nila to a large degree. I
expect my last SALN to have a mark reduction,” he said in an interview with the
press in Tagbilaran City in Bohol.
The President was in Bohol for the launch of the
Fabrication Laboratory (FABLAB) at the Bohol Island State University in
Tagbilaran Friday. PND (as)
President Aquino wants safe shelter for
‘Yolanda’ victims
President Benigno S. Aquino III said he wanted
families affected by Typhoon Yolanda to have safe shelters before the onset of
the rainy season in June.
“I keep telling everybody involved, ang start of
our rainy season is June and we are already in May. These communities have to
be able to be, shall we say, iyong parang resistant to any typhoon that will be
forthcoming,” he told reporters in an interview in Tagbilaran City on Friday.
The President also encouraged everyone to be
optimistic, saying the country will soon recover from the devastation caused by
recent calamities.
In his last trip to Leyte, he said he observed
some concerns, which were acted upon by government agencies.
He further noted that there is an ongoing
cash-for-work program to clear areas of coconut logs.
According to Agriculture Secretary Proceso
Alcala, at least 10,000 logs are collected daily, the President said.
Former senator Panfilo Lacson, who was tasked by
the President to oversee reconstruction efforts in Leyte, will make a
presentation on the rehabilitation plans for Typhoon Yolanda-affected
communities.
“I have yet to hear from Secretary Lacson the
new rehabilitation plan. Pero the good news is, from the daunting figure of
over P300 billion needed to build back these communities better, we are now talking
of slightly over a hundred billion,” he said. PND (as)
Government to look into use of solar power
The government is looking at supporting the
installation of solar panels in private institutions and educational facilities
to ease power consumption from traditional sources of energy, President Benigno
S. Aquino III said on Friday.
During his visit to Tagbilaran City in Bohol,
the President was asked about government efforts to reduce the high cost of
power in the country and to produce more electricity.
He said the Department of Energy has facilitated
a new business model between suppliers of solar panels and various private and
educational institutions.
In the previous business model, he said, solar
panel suppliers sold their products on a one-time, lump sum basis, requiring a
huge amount of investment.
“Under the new model, basically iyong masa-save
ng mga school from their electricity bills will be utilized to pay for the
installation of these solar panels over a period of, I think, 15 years,” he
said, explaining that this scheme will have an impact on power generation.
But in the long term, the government’s thrust is
to encourage investors to put up more power-generating plants, the President
said, adding that, as the economy performs well, the demand for electricity
will also increase.
Another plan is to encourage more competition
among investors producing power and for this to be effective, there must be
amendments to the EPIRA Law, he said.
The government is also looking into putting
limits to the trading range in the energy spot market, he added.
“It is a multi-pronged strategy. Umpisa muna sa
generating, dagdagan. Second siguro, baka i-spread out kung paano nakukuha ang
electricity, and solar is one of them. Ang third is a review of all the
pertinent laws on how to encourage competition so that there will be a drive
for greater efficiencies, which will redound to more reasonable prices,” the
President said. PND (as)
President Aquino leads FabLab launch in Bohol
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Friday led
the launch of the Bohol Fabrication Laboratory (FabLab) SSF Project and the
Fan1 Boot Camp and Conference in Tagbilaran City in Bohol.
The President said that the launch of FabLab
will mean a stronger and better Bohol as the province recovers from last year’s
devastating earthquake.
“Ang mga inisyatiba pong tulad nito ay isang
makabuluhang hakbang upang mas mapabilis pa ang pagbangon ng Bohol,” he said in
his message during the event held at the Bohol Island State University (BISU).
“Ang hangad po natin: itaguyod ang probinsya
ninyo na mas masigla, mas maunlad, at mas hitik ang pagkakataon kaysa noong
bago pa ang lindol.”
Putting up FabLab is part of a government
strategy to help the country’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs),
according to the President.
He said he expects the 135 MSMEs in Bohol to
benefit from the modern equipment in FabLab, such as the laser cutter,
computer-numerical-controlled milling machines, print-and-cut machines, 3D
printer, and video conferencing facilities.
The chief executive also commended the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for helping the country’s MSMEs. In
2013, he said, the DTI established 475 shared services facilities in different
parts of the Philippines to support the operations of some 10,000 MSMEs.
“Sa tulong nito, nai-aangat natin ang kabuhayan
ng ating mga kababayan, at umuunlad din ang kakayahan nating makipagsabayan sa
iba’t ibang larangan,” he added.
FabLab is a facility that started at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2001. Its objective is to help
communities create new designs through the use of modern technology.
FabLab’s backers include the DTI, Department of
Science and Technology (DOST), the BISU, and the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The President also praised Bohol’s local leaders
for spearheading reconstruction programs that benefit the people. PND (as)
President Aquino lauds Civil Aviation Authority
of the Philippines for triple feat
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Friday
commended the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) for achieving
a triple feat in Philippine aviation.
The President, who graced the thanksgiving
celebration of CAAP, extended his gratitude to its Director General William
Hotchkiss and its employees.
He said he wanted to give CAAP “a million
thanks” for its achievements, the first of which was the removal of the
Philippines from the list of International Civil Aviation Organization members
with unresolved significant safety concerns. This was in March last year.
The CAAP was also responsible for last year’s
delisting of Manila from the blacklist set by the European Union, allowing
Philippine Airlines to resume flights to London, Paris, Rome and Amsterdam.
It also helped the country address civil
aviation safety concerns, resulting in the upgrade of the Philippines from
Category 2 to Category 1 by the US Federal Aviation Authority.
President Aquino said that with the improvement
of Philippine civil aviation, he is expecting a boost in the country’s tourism
industry. PND (ag)
