Malacanang aims to bring economic reforms beyond
the current administration
The Palace aims to bring economic reforms beyond
the current administration, said Palace official.
Presidential Communication Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr., said the government is confident that the
country can standby the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) credit rating
upgrading.
S&P rated the Philippines with having an
adequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
According to S&P the Philippines’ ongoing
reforms to address shortcomings in structural, administrative, institutional
and governance areas will endure beyond the current administration.
“Layunin ng pamahalaan na patotohanan ang sinabi
sa ulat ng Standard & Poor’s (S&P),” said Coloma in a press briefing
aired Sunday over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
The Communication Secretary said that the in the
2014 national budget, the government had earmarked 927 billion pesos or an
equivalent of 37.4 percent of the annual budget for social services.
“Sakop nito ang mga budget ng Department of
Labor and Employment sa paghahanapbuhay, Department of Social Welfare and
Development sa proteksyong panlipunan para sa pinakamahihirap na Pilipino
kabilang na ‘yung 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Programs) at CCT
(conditional cash transfer) programs, DepEd (Department of Education) para sa
edukasyon, at ng mga housing agencies para sa pabahay,” Coloma explained.
“Buo ang determinasyon ng administrasyon na
ipagpatuloy ang mga repormang nasimulan na at higit pang palawakin at palalimin
ang mga ito hanggang ganap na matamo ang layuning mapabuti ang kabuhayan ng
lahat ng Pilipino,” Coloma said. PND (ag)
Hosting the World Economic Forum is a
distinction, say Palace
Malacanang believes that hosting the World
Economic Forum (WEF) is in recognition for the effort of the Philippine
government to improve the country’s economy.
“Ang pagdaraos ng WEF East Asia sa bansa ay
isang matibay na pagkilala sa katatagan ng macroeconomic fundamentals ng
Pilipinas bunga ng pagpapatupad ng iba’t ibang repormang panlipunan at
pangpamahalaan,” said Presidential Communication Operations Office Secretary
Herminio Coloma, Jr.
The World Economic Forum with the theme:
“Leveraging Growth for Equitable Progress” will be held on May 21 – 23.
This is the first time the WEF will be held in
an East Asian country.
Coloma announced that President Benigno S.
Aquino III will lead the meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and Vice President of
Myanmar Nyan Tun in attendance, along with 600 leaders and delegates from the
business and financial sectors of some 30 countries.
He said the forum aims at three pillars, namely:
achieving equitable progress; advancing models for sustainable growth; and,
realizing regional connectivity.
The Communication Secretary added that the forum
coincides with the East Asian Region posting a significant economic growth. PND
(ag)
HIV testing remains voluntary, says Palace
The Palace on Sunday said that testing for Human
Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains voluntary.
Presidential Communication Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr., said that Republic Act 8504 or the Philippine
AIDS Prevention and Control Act of 1998, prohibits compulsory HIV testing.
“Ayon po doon sa batas na ‘yon, hindi po
pinahihintulutan ang compulsory HIV testing kaya hinahon lang. Wala naman po
tayong iginigiit na hindi naaayon sa batas,” said Coloma.
HIV & AIDS support groups—Action for Health
Initiatives, Network to Stop AIDS Philippines, Filipinos Living with HIV, and
the Library Foundation Share Collective—have expressed their objection of
mandatory HIV testing.
“Wala naman po silang binabanggit na ipapatupad
na patakaran hinggil diyan. Kaya siguro nandoon pa talaga tayo sa aspeto na
dapat ‘yan ay maging purely voluntary lamang,” said Coloma.
RA 8504 states that: Compulsory HIV testing as a
precondition to employment, admission to educational institutions, the exercise
of freedom of abode, entry or continued stay in the country, or the right to
travel, the provision of medical service or any other kind of service, or the
continued enjoyment of said undertakings is deemed unlawful. PND (ag)
