President Aquino confers Order of National
Scientist on four academicians
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Tuesday
conferred the Order of National Scientist on four academicians during a
ceremony in Malacañang Palace.
The President gave recognition to Gavino C.
Trono, Ph.D. (Marine Botany), Angel C. Alcala, Ph.D. (Biological Sciences),
Roman C. Barba, Ph.D. (Horticulture), and Edgardo D. Gomez, Ph.D. (Marine
Biology) for their outstanding contributions in their respective fields.
The four were endorsed to the President by the
National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines (NAST PHL).
Dr. Trono paved the way for the implementation
of 45 research projects and the identification of 25 new species of marine benthic
algae. He was first to report the occurrence of “ice-ice” disease among
seaweeds, his field of focus.
Dr. Alcala is an advocate of marine “no-take
zones”, which established marine reservation areas. He served as secretary of
the Department of Environment and Natural Resources from 1992 to 1995 and as
chairman of the Commission on Higher Education from 1995 to 1999.
Dr. Barba pioneered the induction of flowering
and fruiting of mango, which made mangoes available all year round from being a
seasonal fruit.
Dr. Gomez steered the world’s first
national-scale assessment of damage to coral reefs, which brought widespread
concern over the status of coral reefs worldwide. His effort led to the
creation of the Global Coral Reed Monitoring Network and other institutions.
Assisting the President during the ceremony were
Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo and NAST PHL President William
Padolina.
The Order of National Scientist is the highest
recognition given by the President of the Republic of the Philippines to
Filipino men or women of science who have made significant contributions in one
of the different fields of science and technology.
The award was created under Presidential Decree
No. 1003-A on December 16, 1976. Since 1978, the Order of National Scientist
has been given to 41 Filipinos, 16 of whom are still living. PND (ag)
Palparan's capture shows government's
determination to reform justice system, says official
The arrest of retired general Jovito Palparan on
Tuesday shows the administration's determination to reform the justice system
to ensure equal protection for everyone, a Palace official has said.
"Matibay ang determinasyon ng ating Pangulo
na iharap sa hukuman at panagutin ang mga mayroong usapin sa paglabag ng mga
karapatang pantao at sa paglabag ng batas," Presidential Communications
Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said in a press briefing in
Malacañang on Tuesday.
Secretary Coloma was responding to questions if
Palparan's arrest was a warning to perpetrators of extrajudicial killings.
He said the administration believes that good
governance should also mean ensuring rule of law in the country.
"Isa rin ‘yan sa pinakamahalagang aspeto ng
plataporma ng Pangulo ‘nung siya ay kumandidato sa pagka-pangulo—‘yung paggawad
ng pantay-pantay na hustisya, paggawad ng katarungan sa ating bansa," he
said.
While the capture of Palparan is a small victory
in the country's justice system, Coloma said, the Aquino government is working
hard to have an effective criminal justice system in the long term.
Ensuring the conviction of those who have
violated the law is a prime consideration of the government, he said, adding
that the commitment of the government to ensure the rule of law is a major step
to breaking the culture of impunity in the country.
The height of the so-called culture of impunity
was in 2009 when a clan of warlords allegedly carried out the Maguindanao
massacre, he said.
He noted that this is the reason why the
President is pushing for reforms in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM).
Coloma also made an assurance on Tuesday that
the government will continue to go after high-profile suspects who remain at
large.
Among these high-profile fugitives are the Reyes
brothers from Palawan and charismatic leader Ruben Ecleo. Authorities are
offering rewards for their capture.
Palparan has been implicated in the 2006
kidnapping and serious illegal detention of two female students of the
University of the Philippines. He went into hiding shortly after a warrant for
his arrest was issued in December 2011. PND (as)
Palace satisfied with results of Makati Business
Club Survey
Malacañang has expressed satisfaction over the
results of the recent Makati Business Club (MBC) Executive Outlook Survey,
where senior business executives surveyed by the club gave positive performance
ratings to 43 out of 62 government agencies.
“Sa kabuuan ay ikinagagalak namin ang resulta
nitong survey na ito,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary
Herminio Coloma, Jr. told reporters in a press briefing at the Palace Tuesday
The MBC Executive Outlook Survey put the Bangko
Sentral ng Pilpinas (BSP) in the number one spot with a rating of 95.4 percent.
Coloma said this only shows the confidence of
the business sector in the administration’s economic policies.
“Kung number one po sa kanila ang BSP, ibig
sabihin mataas ang kumpiyansa nila sa kakayahan ng Bangko Sentral sa
pagmamaneho ng macro-economic fundamentals ng ating bansa lalung-lalo na iyong
sa monetary stability,” he said.
The other nine government agencies that made it
to the top 10 were the Department of Tourism (81.6%), Philippine Economic Zone
Authority (80%), Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (88%), Securities and
Exchange Commission (64.6%), Department of Foreign Affairs (63%), Department of
Health (61.6%), Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
(61.6%), Department of Finance (60%), and the Philippine Statistics Authority
(58.4%).
“Kung maaalala natin ang Daylight Dialogue noong
July 15, nagsalita po mismo ang tagapangulo ng Makati Business Club, si Ginoong
Ramon del Rosario, na mataas ang kumpyansa nila sa ating Pangulo. Mataas ang
pagturing nila sa ginagawa ng ating administrasyon hinggil sa matuwid na daan,”
he added.
The survey was conducted on July 1-25, with 65
senior business executives as respondents. This comprises 8.8 percent of MBC’s
736 members. PND (ag)
