PIA Dispatch - Monday, August 3, 2009

By rotation, RP is ASEAN coordinator with US

MANILA, Aug. 3 — On July 22, the Philippines has taken over from Singapore as country-coordinator in the regular Association of Southeast Asian Nations-United States Dialogue, a three-year cyclical role within the regional grouping first instituted in 1977.

Thus, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) clarified, the remarks of United States President Barack Obama that the Philippines is its “coordinating country” for ASEAN-US dialogue, is simply a reiteration of that role.

On July 29, in remarks during an Oval Office meeting with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President Obama said: “I am looking forward to my travels to Southeast Asia, and the Philippines will be the coordinating country in the U.S. relationship with ASEAN, the primary organization -- strategic organization for Southeast Asian countries.”

"His (Obama's) remarks was an acknowledgment of the Philippines’ current role as country coordinator rather than as a designation, DFA Spokesperson Eduardo Malaya said.

The Philippines took over the three-year rotating responsibility from Singapore during the 42nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) held in Phuket, Thailand last July 22.

Malaya made the clarification apparently to deflect the impression that it was a special assignment by Obama in the context of the historically close bond between the Philippines and the U.S.

”As country coordinator, the Philippines will be the conduit for the 10-member ASEAN in its interactions with the United States. It will also be in charge of organizing meetings to be held either in the Philippines or in the United States,” Malaya said.

In fact, Malaya said, “the Philippines’ three-year action program as country coordinator will be discussed during the Special ASEAN-US Directors’ General Meeting and the Special ASEAN-US Senior Officials Meeting to be held in Manila in the latter part of this year.”

Initial discussions are also underway for the first ever ASEAN-US Summit under being coordinated by the Philippines, according to the DFA.

The first meeting of the ASEAN-US Dialogue was held in Manila on September 8 to 10, 1977.

The misconception provoked critics of Macapagal-Arroyo to belittle her anew as a U.S. "lapdog."

At the recently-held ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference with the United States in Phuket, the U.S. acceded to the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia.

TAC is a key regional agreement on peaceful coexistence and mutual cooperation.


Palace officials, employees offer Holy Mass for Cory

MANILA, Aug. 3 -Malacañang officials and rank-and-file employees on Monday morning offered a special mass for the late democracy icon former President Corazon C. Aquino at the Palace chapel inside the Freedom Hall on J.P. Laurel Street, San Miguel, Manila.

Among the officials who attended the 8 a.m. mass were Acting Executive Secretary Gabriel Claudio and Cabinet Secretary Silvestre Bello III.

It was officiated by Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, SVD, of the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. Jude Parish.
Claudio said Malacañang is grieving over the loss of former President Aquino.

The Philippines News Agency noted that black cloths and yellow ribbons are tied at electric posts while half-mast flags were seen all over the place. Rainshowers were felt all over Metro Manila as if the heavens were also grieving over the death of a great leader.

Rains failed to stop many Filipinos from trooping to the La Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong City to pay their respects to the former President Aquino.

The remains of Mrs. Aquino, who succumbed to cardiorespiratory attack last Saturday, was taken out LSGH at 11 a.m. and will be brought to the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila.

Mrs. Aquino was diagnosed with colon cancer in March 2008.

Former Presidential Daughter and television personality Kristine Bernadette “Kris” Aquino-Yap was seen crying.


PGMA declares holiday on Aug. 5, Wednesday, in honor of former President Aquino; issues proclamation 1850 and 1851

MANILA, Aug. 3 - In honor of the late former President Corazon C. Aquino, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued Presidential Proclamations 1850 and 1851 declaring August 5, Wednesday a public holiday.

Acting Executive Secretary Gabriel Claudio said during a mass in Malacañang in honor of the late former President Aquino that starting this week the Palace will honor and give tribute for her.

“There will also be a series of Mass and novena this week. There will be a mass on Wednesday immediately after the arrival of President Arroyo,” Claudio said.

President Arroyo ordered all flags in government buildings and installations be flown at half mast for 10 days starting August 1 in a period of national mourning for the late former President Aquino.

The order is contained in Proclamation No. 1850 which was sent via fax from New York where President Arroyo is on the second leg of an eight-day visit to the United States.

The proclamation was also signed by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

The President said Mrs. Aquino will always be remembered and will live forever in the heart of every Filipino “as a beloved mother of the nation who led her people back to the road of freedom and democracy.”

In Administrative Order No. 269, also signed and sent to Manila via fax, the President created a four-member Committee on the Funeral of the late president composed of: Executive Secretary Ermita as chairman; Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto Romulo, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, as members.

In creating the committee, the President said “it is fitting and proper that appropriate official acts and observances be carried out in connection with the funeral arrangements for the former president, commensurate with the people’s love and respect for her.”

She said that representatives duly designated by the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court and the family of the late President are invited as committee members.

The committee is empowered to create such subcommittees as may be necessary to assist in the performance of its functions.


US call center firm locates in Mandaue, to hire 600 workers

CEBU CITY, Aug. 3 (PNA) – A US-based call center service provider will open a multi-million call center facility in Mandaue City to accommodate the demands of its growing client base and help provide more job opportunities in the country.

Focus Direct Inc. will occupy two floors in A. D. Gothong IT Building in Barangay Subangdaku, Mandaue City and will be hiring at least 600 agents within the next few months.

The new call center will start operations in September, offering inbound customer service and other forms of support like sales assistance to multiple industries, including Internet-based companies.

”We want to hire as much as we can. We are trying to fill in the need for more jobs here. There are tons of qualified people here,” said Focus Direct Inc. site director Ryan Beattie.

The company is encouraging students to apply either as full-time or part-time agents, especially when the company offers tuition reimbursements.

Focus Direct Inc. opened today its doors to walk-in applicants.

”The compensation we offer to our workers is very competitive. The organizational structure we have is also very small such that agents can directly e-mail our top managers in Utah, USA for their concerns,” said Beattie.

Focus Direct Inc. is affiliated with Utah-based Focus Services Inc., a privately owned call center service provider that specializes in multi-product telesales and customers relationship management.

Focus Services Inc., which was founded in 1995, has around 2,000 employees working in nine Focus facilities in the US and in other countries.

In the Philippines, it has been maintaining a call center office in Bacolod since 2006.

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes welcomed Focus Direct Inc. in the city, saying that the new investment provides job opportunities and boosts the city’s economy.

With around four major call centers in Mandaue, he said the City Government is implementing incentive packages for them to “maximize their profit and expand their business.”

Beattie said that Focus Direct Inc. decided to locate in Mandaue and far from other Information Technology sites, like the Asiatown IT Park in Cebu City.

”The way big call center players operate there is different from one of our focus, which is to work with our agents and get to know them.

This is why we have tuition reimbursements and a savings program for them, among others,” he said.

The company plans to expand in Cebu and is looking at other areas, such Bohol, Negros and Cagayan de Oro.

Among its considerations include the presence of many schools, a critical mass of potential workers and a convenient city layout that makes it “easy to get around.”


CSC orders government employees to pray for President Cory
by Bradley De Leon

With the passing away of former President Corazon Aquino, Civil Service Commission Chairman Ricardo Saludo issued a revised memorandum circular ordering all heads and employees of constitutional bodies, departments, bureaus, offices and agencies of the national and local government including government-owned and controlled corporations and state universities and colleges devote a moment of prayer for the eternal repose of the soul of the former President during flag raising ceremonies on all Mondays of August.

Saludo also ordered through the said memorandum circular to prominently display yellow and black ribbons or banners in government facilities as a sign that the Civil Service Commission joins the Aquino and Cojuangco families, the Filipino people and the 1.3 million civil servants in deepest sorrow and solemn prayer over the passing of former President Corazon Aquino. He also revised the prayer attached to the memorandum circular he earlier issued dated July 31.

The prayers are as follows:

Civil Servants’ Prayer for the Repose of the soul of former President Corazon C. Aquino

Almighty God, we thank you for another week to faithfully and selflessly serve our people for the advancement of peace, justice and development in our land.

In living the ideals of patriotism, democracy and good governance, we are inspired by the life and work of the late former President Corazon C. Aquino, who led our struggle to restore freedom in our country. We now pray for the eternal repose of her soul. Your grace and comfort will give relief and will fortify her family in this hour of pain and peril.

We pray that we may continue to be inspired by her life and ideals, especially us who spend our working days in the service of the republic. As we unite behind her in the fight for freedom, we now pray as one nation for the Almighty’s mercy and grace for the eternal repose of the soul of our beloved Tita Cory.

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Panginoong Diyos, nagpapasalamat kami para sa isa pang linggo ng tapat at makabayang paglilingkod sa sambayanan, upang isulong ang kapayapaan, katarungan at kaunlaran sa ating bansa.

Sa aming pagsasabuhay ng pagtangi sa bayan, demokrasya at tapat na paggogobyerno, malaking inspirasyon ang buhay at sakripisyo ng namayapang dating Pangulong Corazon Aquino, ang namuno ng pakikibaka upang ibalik ang demokrasya sa Pilipinas. Nananalangin kami na mapawi ng Inyong grasya at kalinga ang sakit at hirap at mapagtibay ang loob ng kanyang pamilya ngayong panahon ng pasakit at pangungulila.

Dalangin namin na patuloy na maging inspirasyon sa sambayanan ang buhay at prinsipyo ng dating Pangulong Aquino, lalo na para sa aming naglilingkod sa republika sa araw-araw na trabaho. Gaya ng pagsasanib namin sa ilalim ng kanyang pamununo upang ibalik ang demokasya, nagkakaisa kaming muli upang ipagdasal ang katahimikan ng kanyang kaluluwa.