President Aquino appoints U.P. Professor as
Acting Solicitor General
President Benigno S. Aquino III has appointed
Senior State Solicitor and University of the Philippines (UP) Associate
Professor Florin T. Hilbay as Acting Solicitor General, Malacañang announced on
Wednesday.
Hilbay earned his degree in Economics from the
University of Santo Tomas in 1995, his law degree from UP in 1999, and his
Master of Laws from Yale Law School in 2005.
As Senior State Solicitor, Hilbay argued and won
the case for the Reproductive Health Law before the Supreme Court in 2013. He
teaches Constitutional Law and Philosophy of Law at the UP College of Law and
serves as editor of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Journal. He was
editor-in-chief of the Philippine Law & Society Review from 2010 to 2013.
Before joining the Office of the Solicitor
General, he was Director of the Institute of Government and Law Reform of the
UP Law Center from 2011 to 2013, and was vice-chair of Bantay Katarungan, an
organization led by former Senate President Jovito Salonga, from 2003 to 2012.
He replaces former Solicitor General Francis
Jardeleza, who was appointed as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court early
this month. PND (ag)
Government working to improve MRT, LRT services
The government is paying close attention to the
problems of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) to
ensure the best service to commuters, a Palace official said on Wednesday.
"That is the reason why talagang inaasikaso
ngayon ito. ‘Yung maintenance pinag-aaralan. Matatapos na yata ‘yung
maintenance ng bagong maintenance provider," Presidential Spokesperson
Edwin Lacierda said during a press briefing in Malacanang.
"Matatapos na ang kontrata ‘nung
maintenance provider. So these are concerns of the DOTC (Department of
Transportation and Communications) and LRT."
Lacierda also said that LRT administrator and
MRT3 officer-in-charge Honorito Chaneco has explained the current situation of
the MRT and LRT during a hearing at the House of Representatives.
An LRT train stalled at the Pedro Gil Station in
Manila on Wednesday (August 27) morning while the MRT-3 had to suspend
operations at noon on Saturday (August 23) following a communications system
breakdown.
Two weeks ago, a defective MRT train crashed
into a barrier at the Taft Station, injuring more than 30 passengers. PND (as)
Palace commends PCGG for recovery of USD 42
million from Marcos’ Arelma account
Malacañang has commended the Presidential
Commission on Good Government (PCGG) for the recovery of USD 42 million from
the so-called Arelma Foundation account of former president Ferdinand Marcos.
“We would like to commend the PCGG under
Chairman Andres Bautista. They were able to recover such a big amount. That is
money from the people and that money should really go back to where it can be
used for the people,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told reporters
during Wednesday’s press briefing in Malacañang.
The Sandiganbayan’s Special Division on
Wednesday morning directed the transfer of the fund from the Philippine
National Bank to the Bureau of Treasury.
The USD 42 million, part of the Marcos assets,
was deposited with Merrill Lynch Securities in New York in 1972 under the name
of the Arelma Foundation.
The PCGG filed a petition for forfeiture at the
Sandiganbayan on December 17, 1991, involving USD 356 million in alleged
“ill-gotten wealth” of the Marcoses, and two treasury notes valued at USD 25
million and USD 5 million.
On April 25, 2012, the Supreme Court ordered the
forfeiture of all assets, properties and funds belonging to the Arelma
Foundation in favor of the government.
Imelda Marcos, on behalf of the late President,
filed a motion for reconsideration, which the High Tribunal dismissed on March
12, 2014.
Lacierda said the government is confident that
it will recover other assets from the Marcoses.
“Overall, we certainly hope that whatever was
stolen from the Filipino people would be returned to its rightful owner,” he
added. PND (ag)
Government ready to hold dialogue with water
providers, regulators to ensure sufficient water supply
The government will work with water providers in
Metro Manila as well as other stakeholders to mitigate the impact of a looming
water shortage next year due to the El Niño weather phenomenon, a Palace
official said Wednesday.
Maynilad and Manila Water recently complained
after the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) allowed the release of water to
irrigate parts of Bulacan. They argued that this threatens the supply of water
in Metro Manila.
In a press briefing in Malacañang, Presidential
Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the concerns of the Metropolitan Waterworks
and Sewerage System (MWSS), Maynilad, and Manila Water are for long-term water
supply.
"They are looking at a situation where
there is a possibility that there will be a water shortage, and for that
particular reason, we are all with them in proactively making sure that we try
to conserve water," Lacierda told reporters.
"There is a concern because of El Niño—a
possible El Niño—by the end of this year or by early next year, and so people
should be prepared for this particular concern."
He however assured the public that the
government is already addressing the problem, and as such, Maynilad, Manila
Water, as well as government officials in charge of water security, are ready
to hold a dialogue to ensure enough water supply in the metropolis.
He said the NWRB will certainly be able to
explain its decision to release irrigation water in Bulacan.
“I understand that because of the irrigation,
they were able to save some of the agricultural lands in Bulacan,” Lacierda
said. PND (as)
No basis to impeach the President, people still
supportive of 'daang matuwid' agenda, says official
The Palace believes there is no basis for the
impeachment complaints filed against President Benigno S. Aquino III, whose
reform agenda still has the support of the people, an official said Wednesday.
"We believe that there is no basis for
that," Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing.
The House of Representatives’ justice committee
said on Tuesday that the three impeachment complaints filed against the
President are sufficient in form, which means that the complaints meet the
requirements for submitting a verified complaint under impeachment rules.
Opponents of the administration are entitled to
their own opinion and they can take the advantage of the process that is
enshrined in the Constitution, Lacierda said.
"That is understandable. That is how the
Constitution has provided a mechanism for that," he said.
"But the majority of the Filipino people
are with us in the ‘tuwid na daan.' We believe that the President has not done
any impeachable offense," he added.
Lacierda further said that the members of
Congress will see no merit in the allegations against the President.
While the deliberations are important
proceedings in Congress, he said the Palace is more concerned with the
country’s problems than with the impeachment complaints.
"What we are more concerned with is really
how to address all the concerns of the country that affect our
countrymen," he said. PND (as)
Palace on worsening traffic: Be patient, we are
working on it
Malacañang on Wednesday apologized for the
worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila brought about by heavy rains,
drainage system improvements, and road repairs.
“Siguro maraming kailangang gawin sa kalye.
Siguro nagkakataon lang ‘yan nagkakasabay-sabay at humihingi kami ng paumanhin
sa publiko. Marami tayong mga kalyeng inaayos po. Marami tayong mga drainage na
inaayos rin po,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during the daily
press briefing at the Palace.
“Sumasabay din minsan ang pag-aayos ng MWSS, or
Maynilad, or ng Manila Water. We are improving the quality of the roads, so
maraming mga bagay na talagang kailangan gawin, and ‘yon din po talaga ang
nakaka-frustrate sa tao, sa traffic, kasi lahat tayo dumadaan naman sa kalye
and so, we ask for patience, but these things have to be done,” he added.
He said that all these works would result in
improved drainage systems and better roads, and hence, better flow of traffic.
Last July, the Metro Manila Development
Authority identified 22 flood-prone areas in Metro Manila that the public
should avoid, particularly during rush hours and heavy rains.
They include España-Antipolo-Maceda, R.
Papa-Rizal Avenue, P. Burgos-Manila City Hall in Manila; the Osmeña-Skyway
northbound and southbound, Buendia-South Superhighway northbound and
southbound, and EDSA-Pasong Tamo-Magallanes in Makati; EDSA-North Avenue, North
Avenue in front of Trinoma Mall, NLEX-Balintawak, Quezon Avenue-Victory
Avenue/Biak na Bato, and Philcoa area in Quezon City. PND (ag)
