President Aquino receives Bahraini Prime Minister
in courtesy call
President Benigno S. Aquino III received Prince
Khalifa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain during a courtesy call at
Malacañang Palace on Wednesday.
The Bahraini prince has served as Prime Minister
of the Kingdom of Bahrain since its independence in 1971.
He is the second son of the former ruler of
Bahrain Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and the uncle of His Majesty King
Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
The Philippines and Bahrain established their
formal diplomatic ties in 1978 but prior to that, the people and governments of
both countries have interacted closely on all fronts and at all levels of
cooperation.
Bahrain is host to 40,000 Filipino workers and its
government has implemented programs and policies that are beneficial to the
Filipino community.
On the economic front, Bahrain ranks as the
Philippines’ 79th trading partner, 65th export market, and 101st import
supplier.
Philippine exports to Bahrain include aviation
fuel, aircraft parts, household machines, and pasta. Imports from the kingdom
include aluminum alloys, motor cars and other motor vehicles, plastic trunks,
and woven fabrics of synthetic staple fibers.
The Bahraini Prime Minister was accompanied by his
sons, Sheikh Khalifa bin Rashed Al Khalifa and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al
Khalifa.
The Prime Minister’s economic advisor, Abdullah
Hasan Saif, was also present.
Joining President Aquino were National Economic
and Development Authority Deputy Director General Margarita Songco, Foreign
Affairs Assistant Secretary Julius Torres, and Special Envoy of the President
to the Gulf Cooperation Council Amable Aguiluz. PND (as)
Palace says it still trusts National Police Chief
General Purisima
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director
General Alan Purisima still has the moral ascendancy to oversee the police
force, despite the allegations being hurled against him, the Palace said on
Wednesday.
During a press briefing in Malacañang,
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda was asked if General Purisima remains
morally fit to lead the PNP.
"Yes, I believe so. As the head PNP official,
it is his mandate to address all these issues on peace and order and it is in
his mandate to reform the PNP organization," Lacierda told reporters.
The Palace still trusts Purisima because he has
made a number of reforms in the police organization, he said, citing as
examples the continuing improvement on the system of reporting crimes, as well
as disciplining erring policemen.
He said Purisima has pledged to personally handle
the “scalawags” in the police force, and has encouraged the public to report to
him police abuses.
"That is something that you can hold General
Purisima to. It is important for us," Lacierda said.
"Remember, when he assumed office, he already
mentioned that all those scalawags would beware and you can rest assured that
if there are any complaints against any police personnel, we can rely on
General Purisima’s commitment to rid the PNP of the scalawags," he added.
PND (as)
Palace gives Filipino peacekeepers assigned in
Golan Heights a hero’s welcome
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Wednesday
morning gave the 330 members of the 7th Philippine Contingent to Golan Heights
a hero’s welcome in Malacañang Palace, expressing his heartfelt gratitude to
them for accomplishing their tour of duty.
“Talagang nakadagdag kayo sa puri at sa dangal ng
ating Inang Bayan, kaya naman dapat kayong talagang pasalamatan. At sa ngalan
nga ng sambayanan, ako na ho ang nagpapasalamat para sa kanilang lahat,” the
President told members of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
(UNDOF) who stood their ground during a standoff with Syrian rebels last
August.
He recounted that a year-and-a-half ago, 21
Filipino peacekeepers were captured – but eventually released – by Syrian
rebels, prompting the government to question the actual mission of the Filipino
peacekeepers in the Golan Heights.
He said he requested that the peacekeepers be
equipped with high-powered firearms due to the presence of rebels in the area
covered by their mission but this was denied.
“Mga two weeks bago nangyari itong standoff,
nagkaroon na ho ng desisyon na meron tayong obligasyon sa pandaigdigang
komunidad na tapusin na lang natin ang obligasyon nating pinasukan, at
pagkatapos noon ay umuwi na,” he said, adding that as commander-in-chief, he
did not want to send Filipino troops on a “mission impossible.”
The President said that the government will wait
for the conclusion of a UN investigation on the incident before sending
peacekeepers on future missions.
“Hinihintay natin ngayon ang imbestigasyon ng UN
tungkol sa nangyaring insidente at ito ang magiging basehan kung tayo’y
makikisama pa sa ibang mga pangangailangan ng pandaigdigang komunidad,” he
said.
He emphasized that he would not send Filipino
troops to any situation where their mission is not clear.
“Importante ho ang buhay ng bawat isa,” he said,
noting however that it is the country’s obligation to contribute to world peace
given the fact that 10 million Filipinos are scattered around the world.
“Pinasiyasat natin lahat ng misyon na pinasukan ng
ating bansa, at iisa ang pakay: may risko, tama. Pero ang risko dapat
kaalinsunod doon sa pagkakaroon ng misyon na kayang gampanan at hindi nga isang
mission impossible,” President Aquino said.
Honoring the peacekeepers, Defense Secretary
Voltaire Gazmin called them the “new heroes of our Republic.”
“Ang tapat at taos puso ninyong paglilingkod ay
ipinakita ninyo sa inyong kahandaang isakripisyo and inyong buhay kung
kinakailangan. Tunay nang maituturing kayong bagong bayani ng ating Republika,”
Gazmin said during his welcome remarks.
Meanwhile, Department of Foreign Affairs
Spokesperson Assistant Secretary Charles Jose said the President has tasked
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to meet with UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon over the incident.
“We have yet to receive ‘yung report ng kanilang
meeting. So, after siguro matanggap namin ito, we have to report this to the
President bago namin siguro pwedeng mai-share kung anuman ang naging outcome ng
kanilang pagpupulong,” Jose said.
Asked if the decision to hold the sending of
peacekeepers to the Golan Heights also applies to other missions, he said,
“Wala naman ganoong decision para sa ibang contingents natin.”
The Philippines has contingents in peacekeeping
missions in Liberia, Haiti, Ivory Coast, and Kashmir, at the border between
India and Pakistan. PND (ag)
Government targets 80 percent utilization of port
of Manila
The government said it aims to achieve the ideal
holding capacity of the Port of Manila in three to four weeks to accommodate
incoming cargoes in the next two months.
"We are actually concentrating on making sure
that we continue to move as much volume out so that we can reduce the
utilization of the port," Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said in a
press briefing in Malacañang on Wednesday.
Trucks will continue to move containers to
container yards in Subic and Batangas, he said.
The percentage of port utilization has been
improving, Almendras said, noting that congestion at the port has gradually
decreased from 100 percent plus to about 90 percent at present.
He however clarified that the problem is not yet
completely solved because the country still expects the peak of import-export
activities in October and November.
Imports that were supposed to come in August and
September, or those that were held back overseas, have begun to come in, he
said.
"We now are actually processing a lot more
inflows than historical because we are already addressing the backlog that is
happening outside the country," he said.
"The good news is the big shipping lines and
the big shippers have informed us that they no longer have backlog cargoes in
the offshore areas," he said, referring to cargoes from the ports of
Kaohsiung, Shanghai, and Singapore, which he observed are also experiencing
congestion.
He said there might be some cargoes that are still
on those ports that will be forwarded to the Philippines.
The other good news, he said, is that more
shipping lines are already coming to Subic and to Batangas to unload their
cargoes there.
Cargoes in the Philippines have to move because
even before the congestion in the Port of Manila, ports in Kaohsiung, Shanghai and
Singapore were already congested.
"So, we are watching the volume from October
and November. We are going to continue to operate as a Task Force until we
bring down the levels to the 80 percent level," Almendras said.
The task force assigned to decongest the Port of
Manila includes representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways,
Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Transportation and
Communications, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and
Philippine Ports Authority, as well as the Philippine National Police and the
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. PND (as)
President Aquino presents awards to Filipino
peacekeepers from Golan Heights
President Benigno S. Aquino III presented awards
to 10 members of the 7th Philippine Contingent to Golan Heights during the
Heroes’ Welcome Ceremony held in Malacañang Palace on Wednesday morning.
The President conferred the Distinguished Service
Star to National Contingent Commander Colonel Ezra James Enriquez and Lt. Col.
Ted Dumusmog, who both led the contingent during the “crisis situation” in the
Golan Heights, resulting in the successful extrication of all Filipino troops
to safe locations.
Enriquez planned the defense posture of the
Filipino troops when the Syrian rebels attacked.
The President also presented the Gold Cross Medal
to Position 68 Commander Captain Nilo Ramones, Jr. and seven others.
Position 68 Assistant Commander, 2nd Lieutenant
Larry Endozo, was cited for assisting Captain Ramones; Master Sergeant Wilson
Lagmay for ensuring troops held their position; Sergeant Alwin Cuyos for his
unfazed action that prevented the rebels from breaching their gate; Staff
Sergeant Leonardo Aboy for neutralizing the gunner of a ZPU-2 (a Russian
anti-aircraft gun); Staff Sergeant Andry Mejos as team leader of the Bravo unit
and for his accurate firing at the enemy; Sergeant Ramil Bobiles, whose action
prevented the rebels from advancing; and Corporal Joneve Acolicol for his
bravery that led to the extrication of their unit.
The Distinguished Service Star, the third highest
military award of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), is presented to
soldiers who have rendered eminently meritorious and valuable service while
holding a position of greater responsibility.
The Gold Cross Medal, the fourth highest military
award, is given by the Chief of Staff to members of the AFP for gallantry in
action. PND (ag)
Malacañang warns importers of port fixers
The Palace has warned truckers and importers of
individuals who pose as shipping employees to collect money illegally.
In a press briefing in Malacañang, Cabinet
Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said they have received complaints about some
people collecting P500 to P1,500 to allow truckers to enter the Port of Manila
and haul cargoes.
"Inimbestigahan na po namin ‘yan. Ang
nangyari, meron talagang mga tao na nagsasamantala," Secretary Almendras
said.
He advised importers and truckers not to deal with
these people, and instead approach legitimate port personnel.
"There is such a thing as an allocation. Kung
ikaw ‘yung shipping line at meron kang barkong dadating, alam ho ng port
operator kung ano ang kapasidad ng barko na ‘yon. Alam ng port operator kung
how many containers can be loaded,” he explained.
“Therefore, the port operator will give that
shipping line an allocation and say, ‘You are entitled to x number of
containers na puwede mong ipasok sa port ready to be loaded to the
ships’," he added.
There are also bulletin boards in the ports
showing the lanes of the shipping lines, their respective allocations, and the
color code, Almendras said.
Under the color coding scheme, red means the total
allocation for a shipping line for a particular period is already full; yellow
means it still has an allocation of 10 or 20 containers; and green means it can
load more containers.
If the importers and truckers have issues or
complaints, they can approach the help desk of the terminal operators,
Almendras said. PND (as)
Palace congratulates cyclist who won gold in 2014
Incheon Games
The Palace hailed the victory of Daniel Patrick
Caluag in the 2014 Asian Games in South Korea, giving the country its first
gold medal.
"We join the Filipino nation in celebrating
the gold-medal victory of Daniel Patrick Caluag in the BMX cycling event in the
2014 Incheon Games," Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said in a statement on Wednesday.
"With remarkable skill and talent, he has
demonstrated the Filipinos’ courage and resiliency in global athletic
competitions," he said.
"We also congratulate the Philippine Cycling
Federation headed by Rep. Abraham Tolentino for its noteworthy development
program that has brought off this achievement."
Caluag topped the Cycling BMX event and swept Heats
1 to 3 in a strong performance to finally give the Philippines its much-awaited
gold medal.
Daniel Patrick finished the seeding run at the top
of the group after clocking in at 35.489. He is .797 seconds ahead of his
closest Japanese competitor.
With Caluag's win, the Philippines now has a 1-2-4
gold-silver-bronze medal count. PND (as)
