Malacanang to coordinate closely with Congress
regarding President Aquino's emergency powers
The Palace said it will coordinate closely with
the members of Congress on the emergency powers wanted by the President to
address the need of the energy sector.
"We will continue to work with our
colleagues in the Senate and in the Lower House to make sure that everybody has
a clear footing on what the President wants to do in terms of the emergency
powers that he spoke of yesterday para malinaw po ang parameters nitong
hinihinging emergency powers," Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail
Valte said in a radio interview on Saturday.
Valte was reacting to some statements saying the
Palace may not be able to get the emergency powers needed by the President
because Congress has other pressing issues to attend to like the national
budget and the Bangsamoro Basic Law.
It was reported that Malacanang expects to have
that authority for the President by the end of September.
Some quarters were saying that there must be
actual shortage in the supply of electricity before the President is granted
such powers.
But Valte told dzRB Radyo ng Bayan that the
President is not a person that gets spooked easily and when it comes to the
concerns in the energy sector, he consults the energy secretary and other
stakeholders to see the projections.
The Palace spokesperson also said that even
Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla mentioned an impending energy shortage
situation next year and the country must prepare for that.
A lot of the power plants run on hydropower,
experts said, noting that as the summer season kicks in, the power supply will
be depleted.
"So siguro mas mabuti na pong
magpakasigurado tayo dahil mahirap na kapag nandiyan na ay doon pa lang gagalaw
ang pamahalaan," Valte said.
Another issue on the President's emergency
powers is sovereign guarantee, which became problematic in the past. Valte said
that as the President asks for this kind of authority, there must be
limitations.
"Just please be rest assured that the
matter has been studied, and studied well, and that what the President is
asking for has a very clear set of delineations and delimitations," Valte
added. PND (as)
Palace assures China: We can protect your
citizens
Malacanang assured the Chinese government that
the Philippine government can protect its citizens whenever they travel to the
country.
China warned its citizens on Friday not to
travel to the Philippines after a Chinese teenager who worked in a family-run
store was kidnapped.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said it was
worried because of plots by criminal groups planning to attack the Chinese
Embassy, Chinese companies and public venues such as shopping malls.
"The DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs)
has already reached out to the side of China to reiterate our commitment that
their citizens will be protected here in the Philippines just like any visitor
who comes to our shores," Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte
said in a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Saturday.
Asked if she thinks the issue will strain
further the relations between the Philippines and China, Valte said the
Philippine-China relation is multi-faceted.
"Marami namang mukha ang ating
pagkakaibigan sa bansang Tsina at hindi lang naman ‘yung isyu natin sa West
Philippine Sea ang nangingibabaw sa ating pagkakaibigan," Valte said
The Philippine-China relation has engagements on
several different levels and these tie up has been continuing, according to
Valte.
"Siyempre, gusto nating i-assure ang ating
mga kaibigan na kapag bumisita sila rito sa Pilipinas, bilang ating mga bisita,
at ayon na rin sa kultura at tradisyon nating mga Pilipino, ay gagawin natin
ang ating makakaya para naman maging maganda ang kanilang pagbisita rito,"
she said. PND (as)
President Aquino will run government while
traveling abroad
President Benigno S. Aquino III will keep in
touch with the members of his Cabinet although he will be traveling abroad this
coming week.
There were questions why the President did not
designate the Vice President to be the government caretaker while the chief
executive is in overseas travel.
In a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan,
Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Vice President Jejomar
Binay could convene Cabinet meetings should it be necessary based on an August
2010 memorandum from the President.
"The memorandum that was issued by the
President from August of 2010, I think, still stands," Valte said.
The memo states that the Vice President will
represent the President especially in chairing a Cabinet meeting if it is
necessary, she said.
The Executive Secretary will convene such
meetings in case it is needed.
"But because of the advancement of
technology where you can do Skype, you can do phone calls instantaneously, you
can do text messages, parang malapit pa rin po ang Pangulo and we’re always in
contact with him," Valte said.
"So ang ES po ang naitatalaga ng Pangulo to
run the affairs of the Office of the President."
The President leaves Saturday night for a
four-nation European tour, visiting Spain, Belgium, France and Germany.
After traveling in Europe, he will proceed to
the US to attend a climate summit organized by the United Nations in New York.
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