Malacanang calls on all working Filipinos to pay
correct taxes
Malacanang on Sunday called on all Filipinos to
do their duty and pay the correct taxes on or before the deadline on April 15.
In a press briefing aired over radio station
dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma issued the call
saying taxes pay an integral part in the nation’s economy.
“Ipinapaalala natin sa lahat ng ating mga
kababayan na ang huling araw ng pagsusumite ng Income Tax Returns (ITR) ay sa
Martes, ika-15 ng Abril. Mahalaga ang pagbabayad ng buwis sapagkat ito po ang
bumubuhay sa ating pambansang ekonomiya,” Coloma said. PND (rck)
President Aquino to lead 'Araw ng Kagitingan'
rites in Bataan on April 9
President Benigno S. Aquino III will lead the
commemoration of “Araw ng Kagitingan” that will be held in Pilar, Bataan on
Wednesday, April 9, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said on
Sunday.
Coloma said, in a radio interview aired over
dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, that the highlight of the event will be President Aquino’s
speech to pay his and the Filipino people’s respect to the brave veterans who
gave their lives for our freedom.
“Sa darating na Miyerkules, ika-siyam ng Abril,
ipagdiriwang ng bansa ang Araw ng Kagitingan. Sentro ng selebrasyon ang Mount
Samat National Shrine sa Pilar, Bataan kung saan magtatalumpati si Pangulong
Aquino upang itanghal ang kabayanihan ng mga sundalong Pilipino noong Ikalawang
Digmaang Pandaigdig,” Coloma said.
He added that simultaneous celebrations will be
held at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and other venues on Wednesday.
“Magkakaroon din ng mga palatuntunan upang
gunitain ang sakripisyo ng mga lumahok sa Death March na nagtapos sa Capas,
Tarlac. Meron din pong ibang selebrasyon na idaraos sa Libingan ng mga Bayani
at iba pang lugar,” Coloma said.
The Bataan Death March, which began on April 9,
1942, was the forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of 60,000–80,000
Filipino and American prisoners of war after the three-month Battle of Bataan
in the Philippines during World War II.
Approximately 2,500–10,000 Filipino and 100–650
American prisoners of war died before they could reach their destination at
Camp O'Donnell. PND (rck)
President Tan of Singapore left Saturday after
four-day state visit in the Philippines
Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam left for
Singapore Saturday evening following his successful four-day state visit to the
country.
The Singaporean leader left Ninoy Aquino
International Airport Terminal I at 6:50 pm Saturday.
Among the members of the send off party include
Vice President Jejomar Binay, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario,
Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Manila International Airport
Authority general manager Jose Angel Honrado.
Prior to his departure Saturday, President Tan
led the turnover of the first batch of medical supplies and equipment to Basey
District Hospital in Basey, Western Samar.
The initiative is a joint rehabilitation project
of the Singapore Red Cross, the Philippine Red Cross and the International
Committee of the Red Cross.
While in the Philippines, President Tan met
President Benigno S. Aquino III in Malacanang and discussed defense and
security, trade and people-to-people exchanges between the Philippines and
Singapore.
The Singapore leader, who is also the patron of
the Singapore Red Cross, on Friday presented $7.5 million in donations to
Singapore Red Cross partners in the Philippines for rebuilding and
rehabilitation efforts in areas damaged by super typhoon Yolanda.
The fund will be used to construct and rehabilitate
shelters, schools and healthcare facilities; procure medical equipment and
supplies; and ensure water supply and sanitation in Bantayan Island, Busuanga
Island, Leyte, Ormoc, Panay Island, and Samar, the SRC said.
He also attended the Philippines-Singapore
Business Council meeting at the Philam Life Tower in Makati City on Friday,
saying he sees a bright future for the Philippines given its vibrant work force
and rich resources.
There is an estimated 180,000 Filipinos living
and working in Singapore based on recent figures.
Singapore was the Philippines' fourth largest
trade partner last year, with total trade amounting to $8.22 billion. PND (as)
Defense finding ways to improve benefits for war
veterans -- Palace
Malacañang on Sunday said the Department of
National Defense (DND) through the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO)
continues to find ways to improve the benefits being rendered by the government
to Filipino war veterans and their families.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
(PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. reported that one of the milestone
achievements of PVAO in 2013 was the payment of total administrative disability
(TAD) arrears amounting to P2.877-billions to 17,817 living World War II
veterans covering the period of 1994 to 2002.
The amount was charged against the pension
gratuity fund of the 2013 General Appropriations Act, which materialized
through the authority given by President Benigno S. Aquino III last year.
“This has brought the total payment for TAD
arrears to 6.93-billion pesos as of this date, which demonstrates the
government’s resolve to deliver its commitment as mandated in Republic Act
7696,” Coloma told an interview over Radyo ng Bayan.
Coloma added the PVAO also delivered pensions
amounting to P10.225-billion benefiting 199,000 pensioners last year, many of
whom have one or more pension accounts.
Other forms of aid being extended by PVAO to war
veterans and their families apart from TAD include old age disability, death
pension, education, hospitalization, and burial assistance benefits.
Coloma also mentioned that the Veterans Memorial
Medical Center (VMMC) was able to deliver medical services to 1,092
beneficiaries and their dependents whose hospitalization needs amounted to over
P2-million last year.
This was on top of the P15-million the hospital
had spent for specialized care for illnesses and other medical needs of war
veterans. Reimbursements were also allowed for patients who underwent
angioplasty, hemodialysis, cataract surgery, and purchased hearing aids and
dentures.
Coloma said some beneficiaries were also given
medicines, wheelchairs, walkers, and canes through an outreach program. At the
same time, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) was also
checking with PVAO how it could deliver its services to the veterans.
The Palace official disclosed these details in
time for the upcoming celebration of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) on
Wednesday, April 9, that would be led by President Aquino in Bataan.
“With this year’s theme “Balik Tanaw sa
Sakripisyo ng Beterano: Gabay sa Landas ng Pagbabago”, the PVAO and DND aim to
present our veterans as among the country’s national treasures and to revive
the culture of heroism, which the Filipino race has been known for essentially
because of our veterans’ valor and selfless sacrifices,” he said. PND (hdc)
Malacanang welcomes CPP-NPA-NDF's support to
West Philippine Sea claims
Malacanang welcomed the statement the Communist
Party of the Philippines- National People’s Army-National Democratic Front
(CPP-NPA-NDF) in supporting the country’s claim over the disputed cluster of
islands in the West Philippine Sea.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said Sunday in a press briefing aired over radio
station dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, that Malacanang appreciated the statement of CPP
founding chairman Jose Maria Sison.
In a statement, the CPP founding chairman said
“by manifestations though writing and mass actions, the patriotic and
progressive forces have stood for Philippine sovereignty and territorial
integrity over the islands and islets in question in the sea west of the
Philippines on the basis of United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and
other international instrument.”
For his part Secretary Coloma said “Lahat po ng
pagpapahayag ng suporta na nanggagaling dito sa ating bansa at sa labas ng
bansa ay malugod pong tinatanggap. At umaasa po tayo na lahat ng sector ng
ating lipunan at lahatating lipunan at lahat ng ating mga kababayan ay
nakikiisa sa posisyon ng ating bansa hinggil dito.”
Last March 30, 2014, the Philippines filed a
memorial at International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) against China.
Manila and Beijing are quarrelling over the
cluster of islands in the West Philippine Sea. Both are laying claim to the
Kalayaan Group of Islands as well as the Ayungin and Scarborough Shoals. PND
(ag)
Palace: Zamboanga City rehabilitation underway
Malacanang assured the residents of Zamboanga
City that government is doing its part in rehabilitating their conflict-ravaged
community.
This is the reaction of Presidential
Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. over reports
that the United Nations was alarmed with the plight of refugees in Zamboanga
City.
In a press briefing aired over radio station
dzRB Radyo ng Bayan, Coloma said “Hindi po nagpapabaya ang ating pamahalaan
dahil mahalaga po sa atin ang kapakanan ng lahat ng ating mga mamamayan.”
“Patuloy po silang inaalagaan, kinakalinga, at
binibigyan ng karampatang tulong ng ating pamahalaan,” Coloma added.
He said Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) and local government of Zamboanga City is working together
to help the affected refugees who were forced to leave their damaged homes
during the conflict, while the Department of Public Works and Highways is
tasked in rebuilding the affected communities.
In September 2013, a faction of the Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF) held at least 20 hostages in Zamboanga City
which led to the devastation of portion of the city. Zamboanga City has a
population of 770,000 people.
Coloma said the government will accept any
suggestions to improve the conditions of the affected Zamboanga city residents.
“Kung mayroon pong nakikitang kakulangan ang
iba’t ibang pangkat, lokal man o pandaigdig, ay malugod pong tinatanggap ang
kanilang panukala at handa namang makipagtulungan sa kanila ang ating
pamahalaan,” said Coloma. PND (ag)
