Palace ready to work with Congress to address
firecracker-related injuries, official says
The Palace on Friday indicated its readiness to
work with Congress in coming up with a law that will effectively address
problems posed by the use of firecrackers, especially during New Year
celebrations.
The Department of Health (DOH) has expressed concern
that despite a drop in the total number of firecracker-related injuries, the
number of those injured remains high, and the number of amputations, especially
among children, has increased.
According to initial figures from the department
and the police, three were killed and 354 were injured during the New Year
revelry.
The Health Department has said it wants to ask the
President to prioritize the passage of a bill imposing a total ban on the use
of firecrackers in the country.
In a telephone interview, Communications Secretary
Herminio Coloma, Jr. however said that the DOH's proposal must be thoroughly
studied because there are laws that regulate the use of firecrackers.
"At dahil ang patakaran ay inihahain at
tinatalakay at pinagpapasyahan sa Kongreso, hihintayin natin ang magiging
panukala ng mga mamababatas at handa namang makipagtulungan ang ehekutibo sa
kanila sa pagbubuo ng isang mainam, katanggap-tanggap at epektibong
batas," Coloma said.
"Sinasabi lang natin sa ngayon ay
kinakailangan ang pag-uugnayan at ang masusing pag-aaral para maiwasan na o
mapigil na ‘yung mga bilang na nasasaktan at napipinsala dahil sa mga bawal na
paputok."
The current thrust of the government is to make
New Year celebrations safe, Coloma said, noting that the people's cooperation
and discipline are necessary to avoid injuries.
The people, the local and national governments
must work together to make communities safe during New Year celebrations, he
added.
Coloma explained that simply proposing a total ban
would not solve the problem unless the people and the government work together.
"Madaling sabihin ‘yung ‘total ban’ o ‘yung
titigil na, pero sa tunay na paggawa ay kinakailangan pa rin ang sama-samang
pagkilos at ang disiplina ng mga mamamayan para sumunod sa batas," he
said.
The Palace official nonetheless commended the
campaign against the use of firecrackers that resulted in reduced number of
injuries during the New Year celebration. PND (as)
Security measures in place for visit of Pope
Francis, says Palace
The government on Friday assured that enough
security measures are in place to make the visit of Pope Francis safe.
The pope will arrive in Manila on January 15 for a
five-day visit to the Philippines.
"Lahat naman ng maaaring maging banta o
contingencies that could arise ay pinaghahandaan," Communications
Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said in a telephone interview.
Different government agencies continue to do the
necessary preparations for the pope's visit, he said, noting that they
continued to work even during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
On the possible agenda for the President's meeting
with Pope Francis, Coloma said the President is always ready to discuss any
issue with the pope.
"Nakita naman po natin ang kahandaan ng ating
Pangulo sa maraming pagkakataon na nakipag-ugnayan siya sa mga lider ng ibang
bansa na dumalaw sa atin dito at nakipagtalakayan siya sa kanila sa iba’t ibang
mga summit ng APEC at ASEAN na kanyang dinaluhan," he said.
"Handang-handa naman po siyang tumalakay ng
ano mang relevant topic na mapag-uusapan sa kanilang discussions."
Coloma also mentioned the similarities in the
guiding principles of the two leaders, saying that both of them are pro-poor
and anti-corruption.
He said that among the President’s major
advocacies are achieving inclusive growth for everyone, reducing poverty, and
fighting graft and corruption under his righteous path agenda.
Similarly, the pope, in his recent public
pronouncements, underscored the need to combat corruption in society, and
tackled the ill effects of capitalism that deprive poor people of better
opportunities, Coloma said. PND (as)
Government spells out options to address projected
power shortfall in Luzon
The Department of Energy will take several
measures to address the potential energy shortfall in Luzon this summer, as the
Palace awaits the joint resolution from Congress to address the problem.
Presidential Communications Operations Office
Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said in a telephone interview on Friday that
these measures are implementing the Interruptible Load Program with the help of
the private sector; speeding up the completion of ongoing power projects;
reducing forced outages on major plants; and carrying out several energy-saving
measures.
"Masinsin ang pakikipag-ugnayan sa mga
power-generating facilities at hinahanda na rin ‘yung sa gobyerno, ‘yung
katulad ‘nung sa Malaya kahit na ito ay hindi pinaka-efficient na generating
facility, para mapunan ang tinatawag na forced outages, kung hindi man
mabawasan ang mga ito," he said.
The longer the Executive branch waits for the
joint resolution, the shorter the timeframe to do the necessary preparations,
Coloma noted.
He reiterated the President's earlier
pronouncement that the most expensive power is no power.
“Pero katulad ng aking binanggit, habang
naghihintay pa ay isinasagawa na ang pagbibigay atensyon doon sa apat na mga
option,” he said. PND (as)
