President Aquino opens Asian Defense and
Security exhibition
As the Philippines gears towards achieving the
goal of upgrading its defense capabilities, President Benigno S. Aquino III on
Thursday opened this year’s Asian Defense, Security and Crisis Management
(ADAS) exhibition and conference, held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.
This is the first ADAS exhibition and conference
to be held in the country. The ADAS 2014 is envisioned to afford all
participating countries the opportunity for various interactions to realize
their urgent requirements on defense, security, peace and order, disaster
readiness, and crisis management, among others.
President Aquino, in his speech, acknowledged
the significance of holding the trade show and conference in the country as
they will benefit our uniformed men and women, who are always on the front line
in times of crises, conflicts, and calamities.
“Anytime we have an opportunity to make our
military more efficient, we have every intention of taking that opportunity.
More than any other time in history, our country is making certain that our
soldiers’ commitment on the field is met not only with the respect and
admiration of our people, but also by the necessary support from government,”
he said.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin mentioned that
this event provides additional vibrancy to the Philippine economy as the
organizers have created genuine opportunities for our domestic companies to
establish business linkages with participating international exhibitors.
Andrew Marriott, managing director of the Asia
Pacific Expo, which organized ADAS, cited the Philippines’ improved economic
situation as among the reasons behind their decision to launch the event in the
country, on top of the government’s commitment to pursue the Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Act.
The AFP Modernization Act is in the first
five-year phase of activity and significant progress has already been made
since its enactment with the government’s recent acquisition of various
aircraft, naval vessels, helicopters, and armored vehicles.
The ADAS organizers have brought in goods and
services for the evaluation and determination of the specific requirements of
concerned government agencies. They have also highlighted the Philippines as a
potential growth market for international defense, security, and crisis
management industries and products.
The exhibition features 130 companies from the
United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain,
Sweden, South Korea, Israel, Turkey, Brazil, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Malaysia,
and Belarus, among others. PND (hdc)
President Aquino: Military modernization meant
for disaster response and internal defense only
President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Thursday
that the military modernization that he initiated when he assumed office is
meant to upgrade the country for disaster response and internal defense.
“Our efforts seek to modernize the capabilities
of our security sector is to address the needs in human disaster response
arenas and for our own internal defense. None of these actions are meant to
increase tensions in the region; rather, they are meant to address our domestic
problems and issues,” he said during his speech to open the Asian Defense,
Security and Crisis Management (ADAS) Exhibition 2014 at the World Trade Center
in Pasay City.
President Aquino said that since he assumed
office in 2010, he has released P40 billion to modernize and upgrade the
capabilities of the military.
“Compare this to the P26 billion that my
predecessor released in a span of nearly 10 years. On top of this, we made it a
point to follow a procurement process that is fair, transparent, and
strategic,” he said.
The Commander-in-Chief noted that over the past
four years, his administration has acquired two Hamilton Class Cutters for the Navy
-- the BRP Gregorio del Pilar and the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, eight Sokol Combat
Utility Helicopters, three AW-109 naval helicopters, four refurbished UH-1
helicopters, and the BRP Tagbanua, the first locally-built landing craft
utility ship, among others.
The government has already received the first
batch of M4 Caliber 5.56 mm rifles, and expects that all 50,629 units shall
have been distributed by the end of the year, he added.
“Because of our fair and transparent procurement
process, we have saved P1.2 billion on these rifles, which has allowed us to
order another 12,657 M4s, and to set aside a budget for succeeding rifle
procurements,” he said.
The President further said that the government
is expecting the arrival of two out of 12 FA-50 lead-in fighter trainer jets,
17 more refurbished UH-1 helicopters, eight more combat utility helicopters,
two long-range patrol aircrafts, six close-air support aircrafts, two
anti-submarine helicopters, two frigates, three full missile capable
multi-purpose attack crafts, and other equipment that will strengthen the
capacity of the country’s armed forces.
“Clearly, if this event is any indication, we
have no plans of slowing down. Anytime we have an opportunity to make our
military more efficient, we have every intention of taking that opportunity,”
the President said. PND (ag)
Malacañang to file motion for reconsideration of
SC decision on Disbursement Acceleration Program on Friday, says official
The Executive branch is working to file by
Friday (July 18) a motion asking the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision
on the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), a Palace official said on
Thursday.
According to the rules of court, the Palace has
15 days from the date of receipt to file a Motion for Reconsideration,
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr.
said, noting that they received the decision last July 4.
“Ang pinag-uukulan ng pansin ngayon ay ang
paghahanda ng isang Motion for Reconsideration, at sinisikap na mabuo doon
‘yung mga argumento na sana’y mapaunawa sa ating mga mahistrado sa kanilang
pagbabalik-tanaw sa kanilang naging desisyon,” Coloma said.
President Benigno S. Aquino III, during his
nationwide address on Monday evening, said his administration will appeal the
Supreme Court decision on the DAP.
The President defended the DAP, saying he is
allowed under the law to transfer savings to other projects without a nod from
Congress, and that the program benefited the people through different
government projects.
He argued that halting its implementation would
have a negative impact on delivering services to the public. PND (as)
Government preparations for typhoon ‘Glenda’
were sufficient, Palace says
Government preparations for Typhoon
"Glenda" have paid off, with casualties kept to a minimum,
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr.
said Thursday.
“We will notice that this is the first major
storm after Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ and there was sufficient preparation orchestrated
by the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC),” Coloma
told reporters during a press briefing.
He also commended the Department of Science and
Technology – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (DOST-PAGASA) and Project NOAH (Nationwide Operation Assessment
of Hazards) for “the very accurate forecasts," which were disseminated
through the social media on a real-time basis.
The Palace official noted that preparations
actually began in January when the President met his Cabinet for a
post-‘Yolanda’ assessment, during which he instructed his Cabinet Secretaries
to prepare for the onset of the rainy season.
“Indeed the different departments buckled down
to brass tacks and proceeded to make their preparations in their respective
spheres,” he said, adding that the Department of Interior and Local Government
(DILG) conducted seminars and workshops at the local government level, as well as
drills for flood evacuation.
“Kaya’t makikita natin na sa aspeto ng
kahandaan, marami na ring mga pagbabago at pagpapahusay ng mga sistema na
naisagawa simula noong Typhoon Yolanda, at nakita nga rito ‘yung mas mataas na
antas na kahandaan ng mga pamahalaang lokal sa pakikipag-ugnayan sa kanilang
mga komunidad… Marami-rami na rin namang mga aral na natutunan na nagamit at
napahusay sa paghahanda para sa Typhoon Glenda,” he said.
Coloma also cited the efforts made by Albay
Governor Joey Salceda, who ordered the evacuation of 150,000 residents from
danger zones 24 hours before the expected landfall in Bicol.
“Yung mga bilang ng casualties ay napanatili sa
mababang numero, at marami ring mga nag-report na sa maraming munisipalidad ay
naka-attain talaga sila ng zero casualties,” he said, taking note that the
typhoon struck the most populous areas of the country.
Data issued by the NDRRMC put the casualties at
38 dead, 10 injured and eight missing.
“We continue to learn from the experience and
prepare even harder and better for the next storm,” Coloma said. PND (ag)
