by admin | Jan 12, 2015 | Headlines, National News
President Benigno S. Aquino III on Monday morning led the New Year’s Vin d’Honneur for the year 2015 at the Rizal Hall of Malacañang Palace.
In his message, President Aquino recalled the challenges the world faced in 2014 — the tensions in the West brought about by problems in Ukraine; the erratic weather patterns due to global climate change; the threat of pandemics such as the MERS-Corona Virus and Ebola; the acts of violence in Pakistan, Australia, Canada, and most recently in France – and how countries responded to them.
“Instead of being daunted or wallowing in fear, we have chosen to hope. Instead of being divided by hatred, we have chosen to stand together and link arms, in order to alleviate the suffering and despair of others,” he said.
The Chief Executive took the opportunity to thank the international community for the assistance it has provided to help the victims of Typhoons Yolanda (Haiyan) and Ruby (Hagupit).
“I will never forget how the global community has come together to fight climate change, including the example of His Holiness Pope Francis, who is expected to issue an encyclical on climate change and the imperative for all of humanity to take action,” he added.
He noted that in facing the world’s problems, “it has become clear that we can no longer look at complex issues and situations with a parochial mindset.”
“Whether in combating climate change and its effects, or in fighting inequality, or in taking a stand against terrorism and instability: the time to act is now,” the President said.
“We can work together: each person and each country doing its part to collectively solve all these issues. Or we can think only of ourselves, thereby allowing these challenges to grow more convoluted, and more insurmountable until we are all consumed by them.”
For his part, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Archbishop Guiseppe Pinto, acknowledged the government’s commitment to restore a dignified life to the people affected by calamities, as well as its efforts to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on the Bangsamoro, signed in March last year.
He also noted the “extraordinary events” that are scheduled to happen in the Philippines this year — the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) 2015.
In his toast, Archbishop Pinto wished for peace and greater prosperity for the Filipino people.
“The Diplomatic Corps conveys its fervent wishes to see the fruits of (the government’s) labors for the benefit of their fellow citizens,” he said. (PCOO/PIA)
by admin | Jan 10, 2015 | Headlines
The Vatican communications posted an announcement that Pope Francis will ride on a Jeepney style “pope mobile”. The pontiff’s visit is one very anticipated event in the Philippines which is a predominantly catholic country. The Pope has announced his desire to visit the victims of typhoon Yolanda so Tacloban is one of the cities he will visit.
Vatican communications published on its twitter account the jeepney style “pope mobile” for Pope Francis during his visit in the country.
There was a clamor to invite the Pope to Bohol which also suffered its own share of natural calamities last year (7.2 earthquake) and this year (typhoons Queenie and Seniang) but Bohol is not part of the Pope’s itinerary. However, some Boholano victims of the natural calamities are invited to dine with the Pope in Tacloban.
To secure the Pope, flight cancellations and no-fly-zones will be implemented in Manila and other cities of the country. The Philippine National Police goes even up to requiring its policemen to wear adult diapers so they don’t have to take breaks to answer the call of nature.
Many catholic faithful will either go to Manila or Tacloban to witness the visit of Pope Francis.
The Pope has gained praise around the world for his example of leading a simple life while encouraging the rest of the leadership of the Catholic Church to do the same.
by admin | Jan 9, 2015 | Headlines, National News
The government’s campaign against the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues but the public must cooperate for it to succeed, a Palace official said on Wednesday.
“Tuloy-tuloy ang ating campaign against HIV. We have always stated there are measures undertaken to ensure the prevention of HIV,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during the daily press briefing in Malacañang.
“Unfortunately, those who engage in certain activities, some of them don’t seem to follow the safe way of doing it. But hindi tayo nagkukulang sa kampanya against HIV.”
The Department of Health (DOH) has reported nearly 500 new cases of HIV infections documented in November 2014, two-thirds of whom were aged 15 to 24 and were mostly infected through sexual contact.
The DOH’s National Epidemiology Center recorded 492 new cases of HIV, including 40 cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), last November. Of the figure, 134 were aged 15 to 24. A total of 10 deaths were reported.
The department said the 492 cases were 28 percent higher than the 384 cases recorded in November 2013.
Sexual contact accounted for 464 cases, 250 of which were due to homosexual contact and 146 were due to bisexual contact, while sharing infected needles among drug users accounted for the remaining 28 cases.
Males having sex with other males was the predominant type of sexual transmission, accounting for 85 percent of the infections, the DOH noted.
Some 83 of the new HIV cases came from the National Capital Region, Region 4-A, Region 2 and Region 11, it said.
The new cases brought to 5,502 the number of cases since January last year, and to 22,018 since 1984.
Of the 22,018 cases, 2,011 have developed AIDS and 1,101 have died. (PCOO/PIA)
by admin | Dec 24, 2014 | Headlines, National News
MANILA, Dec. 23 (PIA)–Nipagawas ang Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) og tulo ka limited edition commemorative coins kagahapon.
Tulo ka makasaysayanong pag-ila ang sentro sa disenyo sa mga sinsilyo: Una, ang P5-Bagong Bayani commemorative coin isip pag-ila sa mga overseas Filipino workers (OFWs); Ikaduha, ang P10 alang sa ika-150 nga adlaw’ng natawhan sa bayaning si Apolinario Mabini ug ang P5-circulating coin isip pagtimaan sa Leyte Landing niadtong World War II.
Dili kini ang unang higayon nga nipagawas og commemorative coins ang BSP.
Niadtong tuig 2011, sa dihang nag-isyu alang sa 150 nga adlaw’ng natawhan sa pambansang bayaning si Dr. Jose Rizal ug niadtong 2013 alang sa ika-150 nga adlaw’ng natawhan ni Andres Bonifacio.
Gitakda pang magpagawas ang BSP og 50-peso ug 500-peso commemorative coins alang usab sa pagbisita ni Pope Francis sa nasud sa Enero 2015. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
by admin | Dec 24, 2014 | Headlines, National News
MANILA, Dec. 23 (PIA)–Gilagdaan na ni Presidente Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III ang P2.606 trilyon national budget.
Sa iyang mensahe, miingon si PNoy nga ang sulod sa baga nga libro mao ang matag piso nga probisyong nahisulod nga nagsimbolo sa kolektibong tinguha nga ipasaka ang matag usa ug palambuon ang nasud.
Giingong kini ang pagmatuod sa gisaad nga pagbag-o ug walay mahabilin sa ‘tuwid na daan.’
Sa maong General Appropriations Act of 2015, nakuha gihapon sa Department of Education (DepEd) ang gitawag nga lion’s share nga P364.9 bilyon; gisundan sa Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) nga adunay P300.5 bilyon ug Department of National Defense (DND), P144 bilyon.
Sa sectoral allocation, nakuha sa social services ang pinakadakung appropriation diin ang social protection and welfare services nakakuha og 37.1 porsiyento o P967.9 bilyon ug gastohon kini sa Conditional Cash Transfer Program, Health Insurance ug Education.
Ang CCT program partikular nga nakadawat og P64.7 bilyon aron suportahan ang 4.4 milyon beneficiaries, samtang ang health insurance, P37.2 bilyon.
Samtang ang P52.7 bilyon gigahin sa pagpatukod og basic education facilities nga gilangkoban sa 31,728 nga bag-ong classrooms ug 13,586 water and sanitation facilities.
Ang economic services adunay P700.2 bilyon samtang P399.4 bilyon sa debt payment o pambayad sa utang.
Nahatagan usab ang general public services og budget nga P423.1 bilyon samtang ang defense spending adunay P115.5 bilyon.
Ang ubang department sama sa Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) adunay P141.4 bilyon; Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) – P108.970 bilyon; Department of Health (DOH) – P102.2 bilyon; Department of Agriculture (DA) – P88.8 bilyon; Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) – P59.4 bilyon; Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR) – P21.29 bilyon; samtang ang judiciary – P20 bilyon. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
by admin | Dec 18, 2014 | Headlines, National News
MANILA, Dec. 18 (PIA)–Naka-heightened alert na ang tibuok pwersa sa Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) karong adlawa, Disyembre 18.
Matud pa ni Commander Armand Balilo, tigpamaba sa PCG, adunay kalabotan niini ang gipaabot nga pagdagsa sa mga pasahero sa mga pantalan aron maka-biyahe paule sa ilang mga lalawigan karong Pasko ug Bag-ong tuig.
Apil sa gi-alerto ang mga operating units sama sa search and rescue, air assets, K-9 units ug mga vessel safety inspectors sa 72 ka stations ug 280 ka PCG detachments sa tibuok nasud.
Kalabot niini, subling gipahinomdoman sa Coast Guard ang mga shipping lines nga siguradohong walay overloading ug naa sa maayong kondisyon ang makina sa ilang mga barko, kumpleto sa mga gamit pangluwas ug maayong mga communication equipment.
Hingpit usab nga gibawal ang pagdala o pagbiyahe sa mga pabuto nga walay saktong permit gikan sa Firearms and Explosives Division sa Philippine National Police (PNP). (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
