President Aquino closely watching Golan Heights
standoff
President Benigno S. Aquino III is closely
watching the situation in the Golan Heights where Filipino peacekeepers are
currently in a stand off with Syrian rebels, a Palace official said.
"The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
is in direct communication with the peacekeepers and with the UN (United
Nations) Force Headquarters in Golan Heights, and are trying to resolve the
situation peacefully," Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said
in a statement over dzRB Radyo Ng Bayan on Saturday.
The AFP has already assured the families of the
Filipino peacekeepers that the soldiers are being taken care of despite the
ongoing standoff.
The President also worries about the safety of
the peacekeepers, according to Valte.
"Tingin ko kung tayo nag-aalala, kung ang
Pangulo nag-alala sa sitwasyon nila, we can only imagine what the families are
feeling," she said during the radio interview.
"Mahirap pong maging pamilya ng isang
sundalo, at siguro po, damayan po natin sila sa kanilang pagdarasal, at doon sa
pag-asa na talagang ma-defuse po ang sitwasyon diyan sa Golan Heights, at
maka-uwi nang matiwasay ang ating mga sundalo," she added.
Asked if the government has contingency plans in
case the situation in the Golan Heights worsens, Valte said the government has
such measures but they will leave it to the AFP to make a public announcement.
In the meantime, however, the government is
closely monitoring and working for the safe release of the peacekeepers for
them to come home safe and well, Valte added.
The AFP said in a bulletin issued on Friday that
Syrian rebels surrounded the camp of Filipino peacekeepers in the Golan Heights
on Thursday (August 28), demanding for the troops to surrender their weapons.
The Filipino peacekeepers however refused, resulting
in a stand-off with the rebels.
Earlier, the rebels occupied the camp of 43 Fiji
peacekeepers, and demanded that they surrender their firearms, and took them as
hostages.
President Aquino, who was in Oriental Mindoro
Friday to inspect infrastructure projects, said he was asked to return to
Manila immediately after the event to deal with the standoff. PND (as)
Filipino workers can compete with its Asian
neighbors, says Palace
The Palace made an assurance that Filipino
workers can compete in Asia in terms of skills and talents in the regional
market as more and more manufacturing companies opt to relocate to Southeast
Asia.
The good thing about the Philippines is that it
is entering a so-called "demographic sweet spot," a period when the
country will have a large pool of young workers, Deputy presidential
spokesperson Abigail Valte said in an interview over dzRB Radyo Ng Bayan on
Saturday.
"That’s why we want to make sure, as the
President says, that we keep investing in human capital kasi ‘yun ang
importante. While the investments in manufacturing come, we want to make sure
that our labor force is prepared to meet the challenge," she said.
Part of this initiative is forging close
coordination between the Department of Labor and Employment, the Technical
Education Skills Development Authority and the Commission on Higher Education.
These agencies will advise students entering
college what courses to enroll for them to land a job by the time they
graduate, she said.
The important thing in the regional competition
is that Filipino laborers and professionals have the skills that would be
needed when the manufacturing firms come to the Philippines, the Palace
official added.
There is also a good perception overseas about
the country for being a manufacturing haven given its English speaking and
talented workforce.
Valte said that every time that the President
goes out of the country he meets businessmen professing interest in investing
in the Philippines.
While there are those expressing their interest,
companies that are already operating in the country continue to expand their
operations, she added.
"In the end, government has to make sure
that the labor force and the professionals are more than equipped to handle the
challenges, to allow the manufacturing sector to grow," Valte said.
"And I think makikita rin diyan, in the
recent report— sa GDP report natin — makikita naman na lumalaki talaga ang pie
ng manufacturing or its contribution to our GDP," she added.
According to the report of global workforce
solutions provider ManpowerGroup, while major companies want to relocate to
Southeast Asia, there is skepticsm over the region's capability to match
China's credentials. PND (as)
Palace says Supreme Court did not ask funding
for e-courts in 2014, 2015
Malacanang clarified on Saturday that the
Supreme Court did not make requests to fund its e-courts in 2014 and 2015 so
the budget department wasn't able allocate money for the project.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno
said this week that the executive department did not give Supreme Court the
budget for e-courts. She also raised the issue on the smaller allocation for
the SC.
But in an interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on
Saturday, Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the SC did not
submit funding request for the e-courts for 2014 and 2015.
"Ang meron po tayong datos ay ‘yung
sinuportahan po natin ang Supreme Court doon sa kanilang naging hiling na
pag-implement ng information technology project nila o ‘yung EISP (Enterprise
Information Systems Plan)," she said.
The EISP aims to digitize Supreme Court
processes to speed up litigation of cases, according to Valte.
A five-year program, the EISP is to be
implemented from 2010 to 2015 with a total project cost of P774.6 million, she
said.
"'Ito ang sinuportahan ng administrasyon,
at kung ano ang ni-request nilang funding for that, naibigay naman po,"
she said.
Chief Justice Sereno met with members of media
on Thursday to discuss several issues such the Disbursement Acceleration
Program, the Judiciary Development Fund, her relation to President Aquino and
many other issues. PND (as)
