by magnolia_eic | Aug 31, 2011 | Business, Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III’s first state visit to the People’s Republic of China is expected to generate about $2-billion to $7-billion worth of investments from various Chinese companies in support of the public-private partnership (PPP) projects of the administration.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Cristino Panlilio gave this ‘ballpark figure’in an interview he granted with the members of the media at the Traders Hotel here, early Tuesday evening, hours before President Aquino arrived.
Panlilio was firm and positive about the ‘serious investments’ the government would get from various Chinese companies which would likely go to mining, infrastructure, energy, ship building, and the agri-business sectors.
Panlilio said there are Chinese mining firms that have expressed interests in joint ventures with Filipino companies given the country’s richness in major minerals such as gold deposits, copper, nickel, and chromite.
Panlilio also cited significant improvements made by the Aquino administration towards preventing corruption in the government based on the latest assessment made by the World Bank which could increase the level of confidence investors have in the country.
The DTI executive pointed out that President Aquino’s state visit to China has become so significant given the ‘historic high’ number of business delegation (250) that decided to get involved in this presidential trip.
“We’ve never had a business delegation as big as this in the history of presidential trips abroad and what is significant about this trip is that there was so much interest—and, of course, this is KKB (kanya-kanyang bayad). Nobody is in for a free ride here. All [members] of the business delegation are putting good money to be here in support of the President’s drive, you know, for business and trade promotion,” Panlilio said.
by magnolia_eic | Aug 26, 2011 | Headlines, National News
THE Department of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday that at least six agreements will be signed during President Benigno S. Aquino III’s five-day State Visit to the People’s Republic of China from August 30 to September 3, 2011.
Assistant Secretary of the DFA’s Office Asia and Pacific Affairs Cristina Ortega said that these agreements will be signed during the business fora and meetings the President will be having with Chinese business leaders in the different cities he will be visiting.
The three cities the President will visit are Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen.
Ortega said the agreements include the Joint Statement (PH-PROC) on the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines-China Five-Year Development Program for Trade and Economic Cooperation, an MoU between the PCOO and State Council Information Office on Friendly Exchanges, an MoU on Sports Cooperation, Implementing Program on the MoU on Tourism and Exchange of Letters on
the Executive Program of the Philippines-China Cultural Agreement.
On the Joint Statement on the West Philippine Sea, Ortega said that the document will be released but only after the State Visit.
“We will have a Joint Statement of the Philippines and China (on the West Philippine Sea)…that will be crafted during and right after the State Visit to China so hindi pa natin alam yan. I don’t think we can preempt the Joint Statement but I would assume that there would be a line or two on the West Philippine Sea,” Ortega said.
On the Philippine-China Five-Year Development Program for Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ortega said the targeted sectors of this program are in infrastructure, mining, energy, information and tourism. (End)
by magnolia_eic | Aug 26, 2011 | Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has appointed former Rep. Juan Romeo Nereus “Neric” Acosta of Bukidnon province as presidential adviser for environmental protection.
Acosta, a member of the Liberal Party, took his oath of office as presidential adviser for environmental protection before President Aquino in Malacanan Palace on Wednesday.
Acosta, who served as representative for the first district of Bukidnon, is the principal author of the Clean Air Act. He also sponsored major environmental legislation on clean water, solid waste management and biodiversity protection.
He also served as the House of Representative’s chairman of the Committee on Ecology and vice chairman of the Committees on Science and Technology, Human Rights, and Foreign Relations.
Acosta ran but lost in senatorial race in May 2010 national elections. (End)
by magnolia_eic | Aug 23, 2011 | Announcements, Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino on Monday ordered Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs officials to help repatriate Filipinos in Libya, where the situation remains “unstable” despite signs of an impending end of hostilities.
“The President has given the instructions to validate the situation and to see what else can be done to help the Filipinos who want to be repatriated,” Deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said at a press briefing in Malacañang.
“The President has asked for continuous updates on the situation in Libya,” Valte said.
Acting DFA Secretary Antonio Rodriguez said he has received an advisory from the Philippine embassy in Libya that the situation there “might stabilize” in the next 24 hours.
According to Rodriguez, Foreign Affairs undersecretary Rafael Seguis who is in Libya reported that gunshots have stopped in Tripoli “except for celebratory gunfire.”
There is no movement of troops so far, Rodriguez reported. (End)
by magnolia_eic | Aug 23, 2011 | Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday inspected the country’s first Hamilton class cutter, the newly acquired and refurbished BRP Gregorio del Pilar.
In his speech, Aquino said BRP Del Pilar will further modernize the Armed Forces.
Manned by 13 officers and 82 enlisted personnel, BRP Gregorio del Pilar entered the country last week after a month-long voyage from the United States. It dropped its anchor at the Manila Bay, Monday morning to undergo customs, immigration and quarantine inspection.
The Philippine Navy recently acquired the refurbished US Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton (WHEC- 715) and commissioned it as BRP Gregorio del Pilar Pacific Fleet 15. The 378-foot vessel with a crew capacity of 180 is equipped with armament and weapons system, propulsion plant, electrical generation, helicopter hangar and flight deck, among others.
It will be deployed to carry out the mission for drug interdiction, law enforcement, search and rescue operations, defense readiness and migrant interdiction. It will also perform tasks in protecting the country’s natural gas and oil exploration projects off Palawan amid reported incursions in the West Philippine Sea.
Also present during the ceremonies were United States Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Energy Secretary Rene Almendras, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Communications Operations head Herminio Coloma Jr. (End)
by magnolia_eic | Aug 23, 2011 | Headlines, Major Events, National News
TAGBILARAN CITY, Aug. 23 (PIA)– MIPAHIGAYON og usa ka Buddhist ceremony ang mga paryente sa Manila hostage victims ug survivor sa mismong nahitaboan sa insidente atubangan sa Quirino Grandstand, Luneta, Manila.
Apil sa mga mitambong sa ritwal silang Lee Ying Chuen, survivor; James To Kun Sun, legislative councilor; Tse Chi Kin, Tse Chi Hang, igsuon sa tour guide nga si Masa Tse; Lee Mei-Chun, inahan ni Masa; Man Ho Ching, abogado sa mga biktima ug ang mga Budhist monks
nga nakabase sa Pilipinas.
Sa maong programa, mihalad sila og mga buwak, pagkaon ug ilimnon. Nagtuo man gud ang mga mihalad nga manginahanglan ang mga namatay og pagkaon alang sa ilang pagtaliwan sa laing kinabuhi.
Miabot usab sa Rizal Park si Tourism Sec. Alberto Lim ug uban pang opisyal sa DoT.
Sa Camp Crame, gipasigarbo usab sa Philippine National Police (PNP) ang nahimong rebisyon ug pagbag-ong nahimo sa ilang pundok human sa dugo-ong Agosto 23 nga hostage crisis.
Matud pa ni PNP chief Gen. Raul Bacalzo, nahimo na sa gobyerno ang ilang katungdanan ilabi na sa mga pulis nga angay makasuhan nga nagresulta sa pagkamatay sa walo ka Hong Kong tourists mao nga giingong dili tinuod ang mga gibuhiang pahayag sa mga paryente sa mga biktima.
Gipahayag ni Bacalzo nga apil sa nahimong rebisyon sa PNP ang critical incident policies partikular na ang pagpagawas sa hostage negotiation handbook sa hostage negotiator, pag- usab sa 1996 manual on crisis management, pagpa-ubos sa refresher course sa PNP SWAT team ug ang pagmugna og PNP Crisis Action Force (CAF), interim elite unit nga gilangkoban sa 11 ka opisyal ug 143 ka non-officers gikan sa SAF, aviation security group ug maritime group alang sa epektibong paggunit sa hostage crisis.
Mihalad usab og misa sa Camp Crame alang sa mga biktima sa insidente nga gipangunahan ni Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak nga gitambongan sa mga dagkung opisyal sama nilang DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo, Gen. Bacalzo ug Mr. Tan Ching, ang presidente sa Philippine Chinese Federations. (PIA-Bohol/ecb)
