LTFRB issues traffic advisory on Iglesia ni
Cristo's centennial event
The Land Transportation Franchising and
Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has advised all trucks-for-hire to avoid certain roads
in Bulacan province due to expected heavy traffic, as the Iglesia ni Cristo
holds its centennial celebration on July 26 to 28.
In an advisory coursed through the Presidential
Communications Operations Office (PCOO) on Thursday, the LTFRB said
trucks-for-hire should refrain from using the following roads and exits: NLEX
from the Balintawak Tollgate-Angeles City exit and vice versa; McArthur
Highway; Cagayan Valley Road from the Sta. Rita exit; and all provincial roads
in Bulacan that will be used as parking areas for buses and utility vehicles.
The LTFRB said it expects heavy traffic before
and after the Iglesia ni Cristo's celebration at the Philippine Arena on July
27.
The board however exempted trucks carrying
perishable goods and food items, allowing them to use those roads to bring
cargoes to Metro Manila.
Motorists are advised to use inner roads or
secondary roads in Malolos, Calumpit, Bocaue, Meycauayan, Marilao, Sta. Maria,
Norzagaray, and Valenzuela City.
They can traverse the Sta. Maria-San Jose Old
Road and the Sta. Maria Tungkong Manga Road instead of the Sta. Maria Bypass.
Motorists could also use the Old Cagayan Valley
Road and the Malolos-Plaridel Road to avoid the Doña Trinidad Highway.
To avoid MacArthur Highway, motorists could use
the Landicho-Sandico Road in Marilao going to Saluysoy Road-Hulo Banga Road in
Meycauayan, Bulacan.
The LTFRB issued the traffic advisory after
consulting the Task Force Sentenaryo in charge of government actions in
connection with the Iglesia ni Cristo's centennial event. PND (as)
President orders Energy Department to review
power demand and supply for next year
President Benigno S. Aquino III has instructed
the Department of Energy (DOE) to review the projected demand and supply of
electricity in Luzon for 2015, as well as all available options to deal with a
possible power shortfall in the summer months, the Palace said on Thursday.
“Ongoing pa iyong pag-aaral at ilalahad ang
pagpapasya ng Pangulo kapag nakumpleto na ang pag-aaral na hiningi niya hinggil
dito,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma,
Jr. said during the daily press briefing.
The DOE has projected that there will be a power
shortage from March to May next year, as the demand for electricity increases
during summer.
Coloma also assured that the government would
not pass on to consumers the costs of increasing next year’s power supply, as
what happened in the early 1990s.
“Siya (Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla) na
mismo ang nagsasabi na base sa kanyang simulations, hindi naman ito inaasahang
hahantong sa mas mataas na pagsingil,” he said.
“Ibang iba naman ang sitwasyon noon dahil mas
malawak at malalim ang kakulangan noong panahong iyon. Ngayon naman ay limited
extent and limited duration lamang ang ina-address ni Secretary Petilla,” he
added.
The Communication Secretary said that the
government will ensure a stable power supply at reasonable rates for next year.
“Sa lahat ng pagkakataon, ang isasaalang-alang
ng pamahalaan ay ang kapakanan ng mga mamamayan at ang hindi pagpataw ng dagdag
na pabigat sa kanila dahil dito,” he said. PND (ag)
President Aquino remains committed to carrying
out reforms, says official
The Palace on Thursday assured that despite the
controversy surrounding the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), President
Benigno S. Aquino III is determined to uplift the lives of the people during
the remaining years of his administration.
Responding to questions if the President’s
successive speeches on the DAP would bolster the motion for reconsideration
that has been submitted to the Supreme Court, Presidential Communications
Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said the Chief Executive’s
intention is to explain to his “Bosses” the developments regarding the issue.
"Pero sa kabila nang iyan, nais ko lamang
ilahad dito na buong-buo ang determinasyon ng Pangulo na patuloy na isulong at
ipatupad ang mga programa sa reporma na naumpisahan na," Coloma said.
"At dahil kulang na sa dalawang taon ang
nalalabi, ibayong pagsisikap ang maaari nating asahan sa pagsulong ng mga
reporma at pagbabago, dahil napakarami pang dapat na gawin at umiikli ang
panahong nalalabi," he added.
The President has defended the DAP during a
televised address on July 14, during a dialogue with the business community the
following day, and during the commemoration of Apolinario Mabini's birth
anniversary in Tanauan City, Batangas on Wednesday.
Asked if the ongoing Senate inquiry on the DAP
would strengthen the Palace’s position on the issue, Coloma said the Cabinet
secretaries who attended the investigation provided the legislators sufficient
information with utmost transparency.
"Siguro ay wala namang kaduda-duda na hayag
na hayag, bukas na bukas at very transparent ang pamahalaan sa pagpapaliwanag
at sa pagtugon sa lahat ng maaaring maitanong tungkol sa Disbursement
Acceleration Program," Coloma said.
The Executive branch last week filed a motion
for reconsideration, asking the High Court to reassess its decision. PND (as)
Government sees more foreign investors coming as
it tackles concerns in power sector
The Palace said it hopes that foreign
investments in the country would continue to grow despite projections of a
power shortage next year.
In a press briefing in Malacañang on Thursday,
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr.
said they expect investments to increase as the government addresses concerns
in the energy sector.
The Department of Energy is being proactive in
announcing the possible power shortfall next year, he said.
He said that before Energy Secretary Jericho
Petilla mentioned about the projected shortage, the energy chief had outlined
the ongoing electrification projects in various stages of completion in Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao.
"Ang pagkakaroon ng sabay-sabay na
pagtatayo ng mga plantang elektrisidad ay nagpapakita nang patuloy na
kumpiyansa ng mga mamumuhunan sa kasiglahan ng ating ekonomiya," Coloma
said.
The public must understand the context of
Petilla's message, he said, noting that the country's current rapid economic
growth has surpassed other economies in Asia.
The overall picture is that the number of power
plants continue to increase to address the needs of a growing economy, and
that, for sure, will be considered by foreign investors, he said.
Coloma further said that the government’s
experience during the holding of the recent World Economic Forum shows the
foreign delegates’ positive perception of the Philippines.
The country hopes to showcase its strengths at
the global stage when it hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
meeting next year, he said. PND (as)
